


30 Moments [Souyowrimo 2018]

by RomeoandAntoinette



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Autumn, Background Relationships, Fic Collection, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Future Fic, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Making Out, Non-Graphic Violence, Nude Photos, Partners to Lovers, Persona 5 References, Semi-Public Sex, Sex, Sex Toys, Souyowrimo 2018, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-08-14 08:07:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 60,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16488839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomeoandAntoinette/pseuds/RomeoandAntoinette
Summary: It didn't matter if it was thirty seconds, minutes, days, months, or even years. The truth was no amount of time together would ever be enough for Yu Narukami and Yosuke Hanamura. [Yu/Yosuke] [Based on InkstainedGwyn's posted list of Souyowrimo 2018 prompts on Tumblr].





	1. Day 1: Holiday

**Author's Note:**

> Happy November, everyone!
> 
> This collection will be thirty chapters long. I may be late on a few days (I do work full-time and, sometimes, it's late at night before I'm free to write) but I promise each chapter will be posted.
> 
> This is my first time participating in Souyowrimo, and I sincerely hope you come back here to read more of what's to come. Enjoy!

Yu had to admit. The team’s Halloween party had gotten just a _little_ out-of-hand.

When the teen awoke from his candy-induced slumber, he felt a distinct soreness creep into his spine that let him know before even looking around that he had fallen asleep on the floor. There was a shiny, crinkled candy wrapper a few inches away from his face that also served as an immediate reminder of the team’s holiday party the evening prior.

When he found the strength in his abdomen to properly fold his torso upright, he surveyed the room and realized he was right. He had absolutely fallen asleep on the living room floor in the space right between the kotatsu and television set.

At least he’d had the common sense at the time to grab a pillow for his head before falling asleep on the floor of Dojima’s living room.

As soon as he sat up, his head rushed with blood and he felt something akin to fogginess behind his eyes. He was absolutely _drained_ of energy.

“Ouch…”

Yu rubbed his eyes and smoothed his rowdy bedhead, which resembled a sea urchin more than its usual bowl shape. After attempting to pull himself slightly more together, he surveyed the room again. All his friends were asleep on the floor or on the couch in the living room, with their sleeping bodies laying about in every which way imaginable. Random hats and costume accessories had been discarded nearby in favor of more comfortable and less bulky sleeping positions.

As he expected, the entire Investigation Team had crashed in the living room following their night of horror-movie binging and high-calorie candy consumption.

Nanako had stayed over at a friend’s house for the evening and Dojima was still at the station. Unfortunately, Halloween was one of the worst nights of the year for him and the rest of the police department. Nothing serious usually happened in the sleepy town on Inaba (nothing that could be compared to the string of murders all the way back in 2011) but dealing with tipsy partygoers or mischievous teens was a normal occurrence. It was also the reason he told Yu it would be perfectly fine if he and his friends wanted to have a party at his house and spend the night.

Yu was a senior in high school back in Tokyo with his parents, but he always visited Inaba whenever he had the chance. Dojima and Nanako welcomed him with open arms, and with Halloween falling on a weekend, they were more than happy to let Yu stay in Inaba for a few days and hang out with some old friends. Needless to say, the other members of the Investigation Team had been beyond thrilled and had offered to help put the party together to spare Dojima any inconvenience or expense in exchange for his kindness.

Dojima was more than happy to agree. His only two requests were that they stayed out of trouble and that they kept the house clean.

The good part was that they’d fulfilled both promises. The entire team was accounted for, and the house was also pretty clean. They’d left behind no dishes in the sink and had thrown most of their garbage during the night into trash cans. Only a few spare candy wrappers littered the table and floor. It would take less than five minutes for Yu to clean.

After flexing his limbs to shake out the metaphorical cobwebs, he couldn’t help but take a moment and examine his friends’ sleeping faces.

As expected, Chie and Yukiko were cuddled close on the couch and sharing a blanket. It was a sweet sight. Yu also knew that the two girls had been dating for about a year. In fact, he received a call from Chie after she confessed with her screaming joyfully into the receiver. Yu’s ear had ached afterward, but seeing the two friends turned partners snuggle together made his heart feel full of emotion.

_Totally worth it,_ he thought fondly.

Nearby, Teddie had crawled back into his bear suit to sleep. The mascot ensemble has also conveniently served as his costume for the evening. Rise had fallen asleep on top of his plush form and was currently using the large head as a comfortable pillow. The two also looked quite comfortable.

Kanji was snoring softly near the sliding door that led to the yard, and Naoto wasn’t far away. She was sleeping with her back against the wall on the opposite corner. Yu also noted there was a stack of lopsided playing cards and a few discarded hands between them. It looked like, humorously enough, they’d fallen asleep in the middle of the game.

It made Yu wonder…what the hell was in the Junes-brand Halloween candy they’d eaten?

Well, one devoted employee would probably know the answer.

Yu couldn’t help but smirk as one person’s name immediately came to mind.

His stormy eyes moved to the thin sliver of space next to him and the wall. Sure enough, Yosuke was tucked there and still sleeping soundly.

He was dressed casually in a sweatshirt and loose pants. This attire made sense since he’d rushed over to Yu’s house after a full shift at Junes. Even if he hadn’t had time to don a costume for the informal party, he’d still brought pounds of candy and even a package of caramel apples for everyone to enjoy. Teddie had been an especially huge fan of the candy-coated treats. In fact, Yu recalled that it took multiple people to hold the bear back from devouring the entire package single-handedly. 

Truthfully, Yu wanted to let Yosuke sleep as much as he needed to. If it hadn’t been from the precarious arrangement of all his friends sleeping bodies in one semi-confined space, he would have lifted him up and carried him to his futon for added comfort. Alas, one wrong move would have caused a stir, and that was the last thing he wanted on such a quiet November morning.

He also knew his boyfriend probably needed the sleep more than anyone else. He could see the plum-colored circles under his eyes and knew that Yosuke had probably crammed more homework and overnights shifts than he’d ever want to tell Yu into the early weeks of October to make sure he could spend the Halloween weekend with him when he was back in Inaba.

He’d obviously failed to disappoint.

_Not that he’s ever disappointed me before_ , Yu thought with a not-so-secret smile.

The lingering stare finally registered subconsciously with Yosuke. He cracked one, bright-orange eye open to locate the guilty party.

Upon spotting Yu’s face hovering over his, the teen rolled onto his back with a grunt and satisfied smirk.

He sighed comfortably and said, “You’re actually here.”

His voice still sounded dreamy from sleep. It was charming enough that Yu instantly pressed a kiss against his warm cheek. "Of course I'm here, Yosuke."

Yosuke laughed and whispered, “Good. Honestly, last night was so fun I thought it might have been a dream.”

Yu’s eyes softened at the sweet yet painful statement. Instead of dwelling on the fact that he’d missed Yosuke too and how he hated that he’d have to leave him to go back to the city in a few days, he trailed his lips over Yosuke’s jaw and kiss him again. This time, he covered Yosuke’s mouth with a soft yet insistent press of his lips. Almost instantly, Yosuke’s mouth molded to his as he returned every ounce of the affection. He lifted his suddenly heavy arms and pulled Yu closer. It was a silent sign for _more._

Having grown in maturity quite a bit from his days as a squeamish sophomore, Yosuke lifted himself into the kiss with a playful and confident arch of his back. He gasped Yu’s name in delight as their lips met over and over in one delicious collision after another.

Though the sadness of the situation still lingered in the back of his mind, Yu would be damned if he was going to spend the few precious moments he had with his boyfriend wallowing in any kind of depression.

 “Hey, partner,” Yu purred against Yosuke’s candy-flavored kiss. “Happy November.”

The greeting elicited an eye-roll from Yosuke. “You’re stretching a bit, dude. Who even says that?”

“Am I wrong?” Yu asked quickly. His silver eyes widened a bit as his expression became adorably curious.

Yosuke laughed at his sudden change in demeanor and couldn’t resist pulling his boyfriend down and into another heated kiss.

“Well, if the first day of November involves you kissing me awake, then you’re _definitely_ not wrong,” Yosuke sighed contently when he pulled away for air.

Any reply that could have been muttered was kissed away without regret.

Yu had to admit. The team’s Halloween party, and the morning after, had turned out _absolutely_ _perfect._


	2. Day 2: Glasses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke go shopping for holiday gifts in Okina City. While inside Croco Fur, a glasses case brings up a couple old memories...and creates a few new ones.

“ _Man._ You look really good in those.”

The comment caught Yu off guard.

The teen looked back from the mirror with a surprised expression. The glasses he’d tried on at the store they’d popped into were now slightly askew on Yu’s face from how quickly he’d turned to face Yosuke.

“Huh?” Yu asked, blinking slowly.

“Those glasses look good on you,” Yosuke clarified, offering his boyfriend a small smile. He tucked his hands into his pockets and took a few steps back to reevaluate Yu’s appearance from afar. After a session of flirtatious musing where Yosuke pretended to examine Yu like an artist watching their muse, including multiple exaggerated hums and head tilts, another smile broke his serious expression. “Yep, still handsome. Just as I thought.”

Yu laughed a bit at Yosuke’s surprisingly effective flirting. He would have never thought the infamously skittish Yosuke Hanamura could be such an effective tease when he was in a confident frame of mind. It was nice. So nice, in fact, that Yu felt heat creep into his cheeks. It usually took more than a few suave words to get him hot under the collar.

“Thank you, Yosuke,” Yu said sincerely at the comment.

Yosuke eyed him coyly and gave him a ‘You don’t have to thank me for every compliment’ pat on the shoulder. It was a motion that Yu, often stunted by his own humbleness, was oddly familiar with. He reciprocated the gesture with a playful punch that sent Yosuke rocking back a few paces in mock-injury. The sales clerks must have thought they were the nerdiest lovebirds in the whole city. Hell, maybe they were right.

“Seriously, though,” Yosuke said after a few seconds, his voice lowering a few pitches, “I just realized…It’s been forever since I’ve seen you in glasses.”

Yu supposed that was true. It felt weird that so much time had passed since their arduous battles in the T.V. World, because to Yu, every second with Yosuke and the Investigation Team seemed to pass in the blink of an eye compared to the droning days he spent back in his home in the city.

“It’s…definitely been a few years,” Yu added softly. The sprinkle of unnecessary words was an attempt to distract from the blush still lightly present on his cheeks.

While taking advantage of the balmy autumn weather to do some early holiday shopping in Okina City, the two had decided to stop into Croco Fur to try and find some gifts. Yosuke was looking for a few nicer gifts for his mother and father, and Yu figured he’d at least be able to find one of Ai’s favorites to send her way later in the season if nothing else. 

While inside, the two had innocent fun trying on various accessories and bantering about some of the newest trends in the area. It was always intriguing for Yu. It always seemed what was popular in Tokyo would slowly become popular in Okina City, and then it would cycle around to Inaba by the time it was out of style everywhere else. As far as Yu was concerned. Inaba missing out on some of the upcoming fashion trends was more of a blessing than a curse.

While Yosuke consulted a saleswoman with a couple gift-related questions, Yu meandered over to the brightly-lit glasses case. A wave on nostalgia washed over him almost instantaneously. Following a barrage of early high school memories of fighting terrifying monsters, his second thought was that Dojima had mentioned possibly benefitting from some reading glasses on a few occasions when he’d been thumbing through the newspaper early in the morning.

Out of curiosity, he’d tried on one of the pairs in the mirror.

Then, Yosuke had apparently caught sight of him paid him a compliment that was still making him feel a tad bit flushed.

“I was looking for a pair for my uncle,” Yu clarified as he slid the pair off slowly. He blinked his eyes long and hard to readjust his vision after forcing his eyes to view the unneeded magnification. “He’s been talking about needing some. What do you think?”

“Hm…” Yosuke said as he studied the potential gift with a seriousness air that Yu could never fully vocalize how much he truly appreciated. Whenever Yu asked Yosuke for anything, no matter how trivial or how optional is was, Yosuke always offered his honest assistance.

“Well, if he says he needs them, it would totally be a nice gift!” Yosuke agreed at first. “I just…don’t know about this pair for him though. You know what I mean?”

Yu laughed as his eyes landed back on the glasses. They had a thick, light grey frame with chrome accents. They were definitely _a little_ on the trendy side.

“I think it might be safer to go with something more neutral,” Yu agreed as he slid the accessory back into his compartment and viewed the rest of the store’s collection.

Yosuke also turned back to the display and began to study it keenly. Whatever questions he’d had for the saleswoman before seemed long forgotten as undivided attention went toward helping Yu find the perfect gift for his uncle. Again, Yu noted the subtle act of kindness with intense appreciation. When he wanted to be, Yosuke could focus on a task and perform it to the utmost levels of accuracy and completion. It didn’t matter if it was using his Persona or helping Yu pick out a present. Every task was treated like a promise.

The two eventually decided on a pair of glasses with a dark oak frame and silver hardware. The magnification level was also the lowest available, which Yu thought would be the safest option to start with. The saleswoman even let them know in passing that should any minor alterations be needed, they could be completed in-house without any additional fees.

It was decided.

“I think this the winning pair,” Yu said with a decisive nod. He held them loosely to make sure his fingerprints didn’t smear the glass as he tucked them safely into a satin-lined case. “Thanks for your help, Yosuke. I know you came here to shop for your parents. I hope I didn’t take up a ton of your time.”

“Are you kidding?” Yosuke asked as he slung his arms back behind his head and laughed. “It’s no problem! I was just browsing around, so I was happy to help.”

Yu gave him a skeptical stare, but Yosuke wasn’t having it.

“Besides, Dojima is awesome,” he went on to say. “I mean, he just let us throw a Halloween party at his house while he was at work, and that was only like… _one_ awesome thing he’s done. He’s a great guy, and…he’s got a great nephew who understands that and wants to get him the perfect gift. I’m just happy to help.”

Yosuke had to be setting a record for making him blush.

It wasn’t that Yu never got red in the face. It just wasn’t a common occurrence. With Yosuke, inside and outside their bedroom, it seemed to be a regular reaction.

“You’re getting a little too good at this,” Yu said, clearing his throat gracelessly as he navigated the surrounding clothes racks to continue browsing the store. Yosuke gave him a knowing smile and, because they were still in public, let the comment go with only a little wink in return.

Now, Yu _definitely_ had to thank Yosuke later.

But before that, they had quite a bit of shopping to finish.

After a few more laps of perusing to make sure they’d adequately looked everything over, the two made their way to the register. Yu purchased the glasses and matching case, along with an additional warranty just to be safe. Dojima hardly had what Yu would call a ‘stress-free’ career.

Along the way, Yosuke had spotted a fleece robe he thought his mother would enjoy and had also found a new belt for his father. Apparently, the one he wore currently was part of a previously launched Junes collection from the 1990’s that was on its last legs. 

“Not a bad haul, huh?” Yosuke asked Yu with a playful nudge as they collected their bags from the register. “Look at us! I bet we’re the first ones in our entire group to buy presents.”

“We have been quite productive,” Yu said fondly as he held the shop's front door open for Yosuke, who was holding one gift bag in each hand. Yosuke thanked him with the same, appreciative cheer he always did.

“It’s still a shame those glasses made your eyes hurt,” Yosuke mourned as they exited the store with their purchases in hand. When Yu offered him a curious stare, Yosuke’s smirk immediately clarified his intentions. “I mean, you really did look good on those glasses. Maybe I’ll buy them for you and pop the lenses.”

Yu rolled his eyes.

“The way you’re talking, I think that might be more of a gift for you than me,” Yu said blatantly as he puffed out his chest just a bit at Yosuke’s words.

“You big, colossal dork.”

"But I'm your dork."

It was Yosuke's turn to roll his eyes as he leaned in to give Yu, _his_ dork, a long kiss that was sure to be continued later on in the evening when they had even more alone time to steal together.


	3. Day 3: Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke wake up together. Even better, it's a morning when they have nowhere else to be.

It wasn’t the sound of the alarm that woke Yosuke from his slumber. It also wasn’t the pulsing vibration his phone was emitting rhythmically against his mattress.

Any other day, his internal clock would have forced his eyes open long before his phone even had the opportunity to pulse. Yosuke would usually just stuff his head under the closest pillow and remained resigned under the warm covers until the alarm, more like a summons than an actual wake-up call, would force him out of bed with the annoying conclusion that he _needed_ to go to work or school. Sometimes both.

Not today.

This time, Yosuke continued to sleep because his body knew he didn’t need to rise.

While he'd originally set his phone's alarm to go off only on weekdays, he'd eventually changed his setting so that his phone chimed at the same pre-dawn hour every day, regardless of if he had to get up or not. Sometimes, it was because he had to take random shifts at Junes on the weekends, and the risk of oversleeping from the pure exhaustion caused by school exams was just too high. Also, his Yu had moved back to Tokyo after their second year, Yosuke always awoke early to chat with him via text messages or video calls. His boyfriend had always been an early riser, and a few years hadn't changed that.

On rarer occasions, Yosuke sometimes rose early to meet Yu at the train station for his frequent trips back to Inaba. He'd always leave home and arrive by train at ridiculously early hours in the morning. It was so early, in fact, that Yosuke was usually the only one waiting for Yu on the platform before sunrise. He didn't even care. Every single time Yu hopped off the train and rushed to his arms made all the yawning and coffee-chugging to stay awake totally worth it.

Waking early was something Yosuke did often, but rarely enjoyed. Thankfully, it was one of the few mornings where he didn't have any obligation to drive him from the comfort of his bed.

He was also wrapped in the very comfortable and loving embrace of his boyfriend, who had spent the night following a long day of shopping. With Yu’s arms wrapped around his waist and the feeling of his strong chest steadily rising and falling against his back, nobody could have even forced Yosuke awake and out of bed.

It also helped that Teddie and his parents were out of the house for the day. The Hanamuras had apparently been inspired by their son’s diligence with holiday shopping. The two had left at dawn to run some ‘errands’ with a very tired and very loud Teddie yawning behind them. The combined noise of Teddie’s chatter and the roar of the family car down the street were hardly subtle.

Not that it mattered. Yosuke could only laugh as he sank even deeper into the embrace.

In Yu’s arms, he was always right where he wanted to be.

After a few more buzzes from his phone, Yosuke finally succumbed to the temptation to reach over and push the ‘snooze’ button for a few more minutes of tranquility. With one easy press, the interruption ceased and he sighed with content. Blissful silence immediately returned.

The gentle motion was enough to raise Yu from his sleep. He moaned softly into the back of Yosuke’s neck as he nestled his chin over his boyfriend’s collarbone. Yosuke laughed and swiveled his head to place a kiss on his cheek without disrupting their tangled hold on each other.

“Morning,” Yosuke greeted with a wide grin. “Did you sleep well?”

A muffled ‘G'morning’ escaped Yu’s lips in return. The second question Yosuke had posed technically went unanswered, although the visual evidence was enough for the teen to see that his boyfriend was still sauntering through the catacombs of slumber, and was showing very little haste to leave.

Yu's eyes remained closed as he drew his knees up and close to tangle around Yosuke’s longer legs and anchor their bodies to the soft bed. Yosuke laughed and tapped the back of his heel against Yu’s calf.

“This is a first,” he teased with a smidge of lilt in his voice. “Yu Narukami is sleeping in, huh?”

Yu tried to force back a laugh by pursing his lips.

“We don’t get many mornings like this,” he drawled, offering Yosuke a sleepy smile. “I kind of want to take advantage of it.”

“…Well, if that’s the case, then hold on one sec.”

Yu grumbled in meager objection as Yosuke began to sit up, thus lifting away both the heat of the covers and his body. Thankfully, the gesture was only so he could roll over and immediately plop right back down beside Yu. This time, Yosuke wrapped his arms around his partner’s waist and pulled their bodies flush. Their bodies kiss each other’s thigh to thigh, stomach to stomach, chest to chest, and heart to heart. Their pulses seemed to sync immediately as warmth returned to envelop their bodies in a canopy of bliss.

“There,” Yosuke said with a sigh as his bright orange eyes darted upwards to Yu’s gaze. “Now I can see your face.”

A laugh rumbled deep in Yu’s chest as his hands coasted up the finely corded structure of Yosuke’s back until they were tangled in his chestnut locks. His hands paused there to sweep forward and cup Yosuke's cheeks. Yu's thumbs, still calloused from all battles he'd victoriously wielded a sword through, stroked the bones of Yosuke's complexion. 

“Is... this okay?” Yosuke asked, suddenly a little self-conscious at Yu's lack of a direct answer. “Is it too uncomfortable?”

Yu shook his bedhead and husked, “I don’t think so.”

The teen’s voice was deep with passion as he stared back at his boyfriend’s shining eyes and dazed expression. The subtle part of his pale lips was both inviting and comfortable, like catching a glimpse of home after a long journey.

Yu’s mouth descended to ghost along Yosuke’s warm cheek until their lips met in a series of lazy, butterfly kisses. Lips met skin over and over to create gentle spots of invisible worship on each of their faces that were completely private to the rest of the universe…except for them.

Yosuke knew lazy mornings with Yu wouldn’t last forever.

He also knew one day they’d both be out of school. They would also both have jobs, whatever those would be. They could move in together and spend every morning tangled in each other’s arms, kissing away the minutes before dawn.

Yosuke longed for that day endlessly. A day when the sunrise didn’t signal that Yu needed to rush to the Inaba train station and that he didn’t have to get ready for another overworked and underpaid position as Junes.

Someday, the sunrise would last forever.

Until then, at least they had a few precious moments to pretend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


	4. Day 4: Clothes Swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On an especially busy morning, Yu and Yosuke end up trading tops by accident.

“This…is not mine.”

Yu had been halfway across town with Nanako when he’d finally caught a flash of bright orange beneath his coat sleeve when he’d raised his arm to press the sensor on the crosswalk. Yu knew he didn’t own any bright orange tops. After all, he tended to favor cool tones or more neutral shades when it came to clothes and accessories.

“What’s wrong, big bro?” Nanako asked with her usual, wide-eyed curiosity.

“Nothing really,” Yu said, laughing a bit at what he was about to confess to her. “I just realized that I took Yosuke’s shirt by mistake.”

Yu didn’t need to think too hard about how it had happened. It was actually pretty obvious. Earlier in the morning, Yosuke had bolted upright from the bed they’d been sharing and said that he’d overslept following their _very active_ evening prior. After declaring that he was late for a shift at work, he’d rifled around for his clothes in the darkened bedroom and pulled them on without double-checking a mirror first. After a quick kiss, he’d practically zoomed out the door and to his bike, which he’d left locked outside near Dojima’s front door.

Yu, still in a sleepy daze at the time, had pulled on the remaining clothes scattered around the room. He’d then pulled on his coat to fend off the morning chill before going downstairs and getting some breakfast ready for Nanako.

“It was just a mix-up,” Yu explained with a shrug.  

“Oh,” Nanako said with an understanding nod and they continued to hold hands at the busy intersection. A few seconds asked before she looked up at him again, seemingly more confused than before. “But…how did you mix them up? I mean, how did your clothes switch if you were wearing them?”

His eyes darted back to his cousin and he swallowed hard. Of course, the daughter of a police chief would be perceptive. Then again, it was actually a pretty reasonable question that had a very easy answer. The problem was that it was also a very scandalous answer.

Yu’s usual grace seemed to evade him as he groped for a vague but satisfactory reply to offer. “That's because…um…”

There was no way he could tell her about the real reason Yosuke had spent the night. While he’d long since told Dojima and Nanako about his relationship with Yosuke, there was no way he could tell his very young cousin how they disrobed in each other arms and rolled around on Yu’s bed. There was no way he could tell her how they'd been in such a rush that they'd thrown their clothes across the room, how they’d pinned each other to the mattress, how they’d kissed their lips raw, how they’d… _yeah, no._

“Big bro? Are you cold? Your face is getting all red.”

“Oh, yeah?” Yu asked suddenly, voice cracking distinctly. After clearing his throat, he said, “No, I’m fine.”

She tilted her head at him curiously. He still hadn’t answered her question. Again, it was stunning how perceptive Nanako was for her age.

“Yosuke left it over last night when we were studying,” Yu finally fibbed. “We changed into some different clothes to sleep, and we must have gotten them switched around in the dark this morning when Yosuke left for work.”

It wasn’t technically a lie, but Yu still waited with bated breath to see if Nanako would buy it.

“Oh, I see!” Nanako said. “Well, that makes sense.”

Yu sighed in relief. Crisis averted.

“Hey, if Yosuke went to work this morning, maybe he’ll still be there when we get groceries!” Nanako suddenly posed as the light changed and traffic became to slow down.

The sudden thought of seeing Yosuke walking around in his sweater was extremely appealing. He had to wonder how Yosuke’s slightly smaller frame would look in the baggy material, or how the swooping collar would show off the length of his neck and the natural incline of his shoulders. Yu couldn’t help but bite the inside of his lip at the thoughts churning in his head.

“Do you think we’ll see him?”

“I _certainly_ hope so,” was all Yu said as he gently tugged his cousin’s hand forward so they could cross the road safely before the signal changed.

* * *

The cousins drifted through the sprawling store to grab all the ingredients they needed for the upcoming workweek. Yu picked out some of Nanako and Dojima’s favorites, as well as a couple premade-meals as back-ups just in case. With how hectic everyone’s schedules were, it never hurt to be extra prepared.

Eventually, the two had meandered all the way to the back part of the store. Yu couldn’t resist stealing a long glance that the TV section, now made up mostly of humungous flat screens, before they finally spotted a familiar head of hazelnut-colored hair bobbing between the aisles. The duo turned the corner to see the familiar figure pushing a mostly empty shopping cart of produce and some other perishable goods. It looked like he was just finishing his latest bout of shelf-restocking. 

“Hello, Yosuke!” Nanako waved innocently from down the aisle.

The sound of her voice immediately brought Yosuke to a halt just before he was about to turn around and walk away to continue his monotonous work routine. When he saw Nanako beaming at him widely, Yosuke sank to his knees and opened an arm for her. It wasn’t long before she was prancing forward to greet him with a tight hug.

Over the years, Nanako and Yosuke had become even closer since the days of the Investigation Team’s escapades. He often walked with her around Junes and kept an eye on her when Yu wasn’t in town and Dojima was busy with work.

The two were confidants, and their bond had only strengthened since Yu and Yosuke had started seeing each other romantically.  

“Hey there, Nanako!” Yosuke said gleefully. “Ugh, what a relief it is to see you! I was just about to be completely bored out of my mind.”

As Yu walked the remaining paces of the aisle to greet them, Yosuke’s smile changed to a mischievous smirk. He stood up from the hug slowly and crossed his arms with a cocky air that he knew damn well _did things_ to Yu beyond what they’d want to enact during business hours.

Yosuke teased accusingly, “So, that’s where my shirt went.”

“Right back at you,” Yu retorted, but there was no heat behind the words.

While Nanako busied herself scanning the aisle to pick the remaining items they'd yet to grab on their shopping list, Yu’s eyes took their time caressing Yosuke’s form. While the pesky Junes apron covered most of his form, he could see the soft skin of Yosuke’s finely corded neck and the tantalizing slope of his chest just beneath the coarsely woven material.

“Like what you see?” Yosuke asked, effectively reading his boyfriend’s mind with his usual astuteness. “Gotta confess, I was worried about showing up to work in this. Thankfully, the collar is just barely high enough.”

When Yu offered him a quizzical stare, Yosuke crooked a finger to lure Yu closer before pulling down the hem of the neckline to reveal a reddish lovebite from their antics the night before. Understanding swept over Yu like an ocean wave.

“Oh.”

_“Yeah,”_ Yosuke teased as he snapped the collar up and back around his neckline. “I won’t keep you. Nanako is waiting, right? Finish up shopping. I’ll text you when I’m off?”

“Sure,” Yu said, bouncing the heel of his shoe excitedly against the linoleum floor. “That sounds great. We can grab some dinner at Aiya’s, and maybe later tonight, we can…um,  _trade shirts_ again?”

Yosuke bit the inside of his cheek so he didn’t roar from laughter. The last thing he needed was the other sales associates asking too many questions about his 

“Consider it a date, partner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like my version of Yu is 50 percent suaveness, followed by 50 perfect lame pick-up lines. AKA, Yosuke's perfect type.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! I'm sending you all hugs and kisses.  
> See you again tomorrow! Same-ish time, same place.


	5. Day 5: After School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The precious hours Yu and Yosuke spend together after school will never be enough.

It was hard to beat days when Yu and Yosuke could just relax together after school.

There were no palaces to explore, no enemies to fight, no homework to finish and no last-minute shifts at Junes just because _that one employee_ called again to say they were too sick to come in for the third Friday evening in a row.

They had no other responsibilities to tend to. They could just walk over to Dojima’s house or the Hanamura household and decompress from their arduous list of tasks. The sessions, which were never long enough, usually involved playing video games and watching random videos online. Sometimes they both listened to Yosuke’s large CD collection until the setting sun forced them to part ways, so the other party could get home before it got dark out.

It was unsafe for teenagers to walk around without adult supervision when there was a serial killer on the loose, after all.

Sometimes when Yosuke came over to his house, Yu liked to cook for him. At first, Yosuke had been surprised that Yu had any time to enjoy hobbies beyond schoolwork and defeating Shadows, but he quickly warmed up to the idea after trying Yu’s homemade croquettes for the first time.

Yu loved feeding Yosuke. He wanted his partner to be full and happy, and not chowing down on various snacks from vending machines like he’d done religiously before Yu had arrived in Inaba. Yu made sure to nip the pesky habit in the bud as soon as he realized.

On hot days, the two undressed to their tee-shirts and boxers and laid on the hardwood floor while a fan blew cold air over the bare skin.

In winter, the two would huddle inside the nearest convenience store for as long as possible before braving icy winds to get home.

The walks in spring and fall were the most pleasant because they could saunter as long as they wanted and talk about whatever idle conversations topics that crossed their path, both literally and figuratively.

Their conversation varied greatly, from the weather (of course) to what types of movies were playing. Yosuke always got caught up in talking about the musical scores, which he could always recall with stunning accuracy that never ceased to amaze Yu.

Even as time continued to pass, their multiple visits with each other never stopped feeling special. They never felt mundane or forced. In fact, as the days passed and the two became more open and comfortable with each other, their bond grew into something so strong that the two could sit in a room for hours and barely speak to each other, yet Yu could walk away feeling refreshed and happy. Just… _being together_ was enough. Words weren’t necessary for the two to communicate, for their closeness far exceeded the need for it.

Eventually, Yu had to return to his life in Tokyo again.

Although he’d never admit it, his greatest fear wasn’t the uncertainty of whether he could ever return to Inaba. He’d heard Dojima explicitly declare that he was always with open arms whenever he wanted to return.

No. What worried him more than anything else was that he could never return to the comfortable easiness that had bloomed so perfectly between him and his best friend, Yosuke. For the entire train ride back to Inaba following his second-year departure, a fear gnawed at the back of his mind the entire way if he’d lost the bond they’d had. Perhaps trying to recapture the magical connection they’d had would render their relationship strained and awkward. Maybe the dynamic would become so flawed they would just stop seeing each other.

Yu wasn’t sure if he could bear the thought of being alone again.

Thankfully, all his fears were abolished. In addition to Dojima and Nanako awaiting his return, the rest of the Investigation Team joined the glee and displays of affection. They awaited his arrival at the platform and showered him with eager greetings and tight hugs.

Of course, Yosuke was also there. He was always there.

The second their eyes locked, Yu knew. Their bond hadn’t been severed. As soon as Yu stepped back into town, it was as if he’d never left.

Just like magic, everything clicked right back into place the second he stepped on the train platform and got to see his real family again.

It didn’t matter if it was a three-hour train ride, an evening of Palace exploration or just a regular school day. 

No matter what, Yu and Yosuke’s routine was always the same. Every day, they’d meet up and end their otherwise mundane schedules talking and laughing with each other.

It didn't matter how bad or stressful the way was. All that mattered was that, at the end of the day, that he heard Yosuke's chipper voice ask the same, wonderful question he'd always have an answer for.

“Hey, partner!” Yosuke would always say, beaming at Yu with a smile that was more stunning than a galaxy of stars. “So, my place or yours?”

Someday, Yu hoped the two places would be one in the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'm sending you all hugs and kisses!  
> I'll see you back here tomorrow for round six (or, Day 6, haha!)


	6. Day 6: Shadow Ops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke face-off in a dire match for victory.

Yosuke took his time bobbing and weaving between cars, sidling cautiously against any flat surface he could fit his back against. All the while, enemy fire continued to roar overhead like a jet engine. 

One he heard via radio that the coast was clear, he sidled alongside a vacant warehouse to further enter the enemy encampment. His eyes flitted across the shadowy building before he climbed into the nearest opening to covertly enter the building. Once inside, he rolled to a stop and brandished a flashlight from his pack.

The newfound visibility only helped for a moment as Yosuke realized there were still dark corridors for him to traverse to his goal. Corridors met there was nowhere for the enemy to hide…but it also met he had no place to hide either. The pros and cons were unfortunately reciprocal.

Swallowing hard, he moved forward slowly.

He knew the objective he and his team needed to accomplish. They needed to overtake the enemy’s camp and clear out the other troops before they could raid the area for additional supplies and ammunition. Considering how worn down their unit was in terms of ammunition and medical supplies, they needed to move fast and swiftly if they wanted to have any chance at succeeding. So far, the odds were already looking slim.

While the other units cleared the landmines and disarmed whatever traps they located along the way, Yosuke had been tasked with infiltrating the camp and taking out the opposing team’s main sniper, who had been identified as hiding in the top floor of a nearby warehouse.

Nobody could pinpoint the elusive figure’s precise location, but their aim and precision were excellent enough that they posed a significant threat. A few of his fellow teammates had already learned of that potential the hard way.

Stealth and speed would be needed to take them down, and thankfully, Yosuke excelled at both.

The dusty ground effectively silenced his footsteps as Yosuke rounded each corner of the tight corridor. By the time he reached the end, his breathing was so loud from running through the claustrophobic space that he needed to take a beat before he dared to emerge from his hiding spot.

He leaned out of the darkness fr just a moment to quickly survey his surroundings. The area around him was gently lit from the broken walls and the patchy roof overhead. The vibrant splotches of blue sky looked heavenly compared to the grungy and dilapidated interior of the warehouse. Outside, he could still hear the dull roar of weaponized machinery.

Trying to remain as silent as possible, Yosuke swapped out his flashlight for his radio to send a message to his teammates that the infiltration had been successful. They just needed to push a little bit more and they would reach their goal.

Before he could even whisper a single word to his teammates, footsteps closed in on him.

“Not so fast.”

He heard an infuriatingly composed voice ring in his ears. He looked over and caught sight of a shadowy figure dressed in the enemy's distinct uniform. Their imposing figure was lingering over him, effectively blocking his only escape.

Yosuke barely had time to curse under his breath.

“Found you, partner.”

Before he knew it, the screen before him flashed bright white. 

_Player Jiraiya has been DEFEATED!_

_> Return to lobby?_

 “Ugh, son of a…” Yosuke groaned as he flopped back onto his bed in resignation. He threw the controller onto the bed and sighed deeply. Through his headset, he could hear Yu’s familiar laugher through the speakers.

 _“I finally beat you at a video game,”_ Yu said over the line. He punctured the statement with an audible sigh. Even though the online match had ended, their call continued as Yosuke stared at the ‘Game Over’ screen in front of him.

“Damn, dude,” Yosuke sighed in amazement and he wrung out the soreness that had intensified in his hands from gripping the controller so hard. “I’ve had this game for months! I’ve been practicing like crazy! I thought for sure I’d win.”

Yu laughed casually. Maybe it was his imagination or just interference from his older headset, but he almost sounded a little embarrassed. He said, _“I’ve actually been practicing a lot. I wanted us to have an actual match together, and with how good you are, I figured you wouldn’t go down easily.”_

While Yu was back in Tokyo and continuing his high school studies, he and Yosuke had taken up multiple advances in technology to continue their connection despite the geographical gap between them. Phone calls and texting were the most obvious and accessible ways, and they worked perfectly for their everyday needs.

Their most recent bonding experience turned out to be something Yosuke would never have predicted: video games.

The second Yu told Yosuke that he’d bought a video game console for his room, it hadn’t taken the two long to take up a new hobby of playing games online together. When both teens had time after school and work, they’d log in and play a couple matches. Yosuke always excelled at sports and fighting games, but as Yu had started more often, it became gradually harder for Yosuke to beat his friend. The margin of victory became narrower and narrower with each game.

They also both chatted about what multiplayer games to buy and download. They’d even started taking advantage of the co-op gaming options from their old high school favorites.

One day, at Yu’s curious request, Yosuke had also shared a couple of his favorite titles with Yu so he could pick them up. One of them was a decently new FPS game that Yosuke said had a great single-player campaign. When it came to online matches, Yosuke was also undefeated.

Well, he _had_ been undefeated.

 “Didn’t you only get this game about a week ago?” Yosuke asked quickly, still in awe at his partner’s battle skills. “How are you already this good? Seriously, partner, is there anything you can’t do?”

_“Well, losing at this game is apparently one thing.”_

“It was a rhetorical question, you ass,” Yosuke retorted briskly, but there was no punch behind the sentiment.

With newfound energy, Yosuke snapped up from his bed and grabbed the controller again. He crossed his legs and braced his grip in determination. After quickly readjusting the headset, he smiled against the microphone before saying, “Well, you’re about to eat those words. I want a rematch!”

 _“A whole rematch?”_ Yu asked playfully. _“Are you sure you have a couple more minutes to spare?”_

The casual sentiment caused Yosuke to pause. He knew Yu very well, and he could practically picture the smile he adored so much in his mind just from just hearing his partner's confident words in his ear. For a moment, if he closed his eyes and imagined Yu's face, he could almost pretend they were playing right beside each other again, just like they had in high school.

For one blissful second, he could imagine that he and Yu were side-by-side and together again.

He gathered his bearings, took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. Yosuke smirked against the microphone as he braced the controller in his hands again.

“For you? I’ve got all the time in the world, partner."

Both confirmed their commitment with an in-sync press of a button.

_> Rematch accepted! Preparing map for battle…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope this isn't too weird. I struggled a bit with this one, so I hope it's readable and enjoyable!
> 
> I'll see you guys again tomorrow. Again, thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it.


	7. Day 7: Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke spend an evening under the stars.

_> Hey, are you free tonight?_

_> >um of course dude! what’s up??? u wanna talk?_

_> I’m actually coming back to Inaba a day early. Can you meet me at the riverbank? _

_> >:OOOOO _

_> >THATS AWESOME_

_> >DUH ill totally b there!_

_> Sounds good. Meet me at 7 p.m.? Bring a jacket too._

_> >…partner_

_> >…what r u up 2?_

_> Don’t worry about it. ;)_

Yosuke then proceeded to worry about the message for the entire school day. Or, perhaps it would have been more accurate to say that he was anxious about the message for the entire day. He skipped lunch because his stomach wouldn’t stop churning, and when the dismissal arrival, he almost bolted past Chie and Yukiko without saying goodbye.

Although he still had some time to kill before meeting Yu, he didn’t trust himself to be around others and not talk about it. He imagined that because Yu had sent him a private message and asked to meet him at night, it also probably met that he hadn’t told any of their other teammates that he was coming back early. If he had, no doubt Rise or Teddie would have already announced that they would throw a huge celebratory bash to welcome their leader back to town.

If Yu had texted only him about meeting up, it met that it was a secret. Even more importantly, it was a secret he trusted Yosuke to keep. Of course, he was going to fulfill his partner’s wish.

That met racing home and spending the rest of the day in his room, silencing his phone and cramming all his homework so he could leave his house without his parents asking too many questions.

After all, it wasn’t often that Yu came back to Inaba. It was even more uncommon for him to visit during the school year. He had his own classes back in Tokyo, and from what the two had talked about, Yu was still the top of his class.

When he did come back, he usually adhered to a pretty strict schedule. Yu was a popular guy, after all. He had a ton of people see reconnect with, and not a lot of time to do it. Yosuke was just one person…one tiny star in Yu Narukami’s entire galaxy of friends.

Nobody focused on one star when they had an entire solar system to behold.

But Yu was special. To him, it didn’t matter that Yosuke was one star. He took the time to notice him anyway.

Even if he was just one person, Yu was coming to Inaba early to see him. _Him!_

It was physically impossible for him to relax as he thought about all the reasons Yu might want to meet with him. Why did he want to meet at night? Why did he want to meet by the riverbank? Why…did he come all the way back to Inaba a whole day early to see him?

There were other questions that Yosuke started to ask himself.

Was Yu coming home early a sign? Was the universe trying to tell Yosuke to finally confess his feelings?

Yosuke couldn’t deny what he felt for Yu. He’d been crushing on him since his second year of high school but hadn’t had the self-insight to actually realize his feelings until it was too late. Text messages and phone calls had to suffice. There had been plenty of opportunities to confess his feelings, but the idea of admitting something so intimate over the phone just never felt right to Yosuke. Yu deserved more than that. He wanted to tell him in-person, but every time Yu came back to town for a visit, the duo was always joined by their entire group of friends. Not that Yosuke would ever complain about enjoying a day-out with his closest friends, but it was an inevitable hindrance.

For the first time in a while, he felt Susano-o pulse inside him. His whole body seemed to jolt with energy, and Yosuke knew what he needed to finally gather the courage and do.

Even if Yu didn’t return his feelings, he had to say something. He had to whisper his confession, plead for forgiveness and then hope things wouldn’t be tremendously awkward afterward.

He could only hope.

* * *

Yosuke pedaled down to the riverbank on his bike a few minutes early. He’d tried to remain cool and composed, but he just couldn’t pull it off.

_“This is it,”_ he thought as he rounded the corner near the bridge and began to coast down the dirt path to the closest bike rack. He’d pulled the hood of his jacket over his head to fend off the breezy autumn chill that was steadily creeping back into his skin. _“I’m going to tell him. No holding back.”_

The clocked his bike lock into place before briskly walking to the stairs that would lead to the river’s edge.

To his surprise, he saw that Yu was already there waiting for him. He could never mistake his cleanly-cut head of silver hair, shining like starlight under the moonlit evening.

As Yosuke got closer, he also saw that there was a blanket spread out along the water edge. The aroma of something sugary and sweet wafted through the air, making his stomach grumble loudly. Much to Yosuke’s immense chagrin, the unflattering sound was enough to catch Yu’s attention before he was ready to face him.

In the dark, Yu’s silver eyes seemed to blaze with power and light that could have put the moon to shame.

“Yosuke?”

All of a sudden, Yosuke’s embarrassment seemed to evaporate at the sound of his partner’s voice. The sight of his face and the outline of his body against the raging river, even in the darkness, sent blood screaming through Yosuke’s veins.

_He’s really here._

 Feeling nothing but excitement, he waved at Yu and began to run down the remaining stairs toward his partner. Once he got to the last three steps, he skipped them with on large leap onto the ground. It probably only shaved a few seconds off his arrival, but he didn’t care.

Yu trotted the remaining distance to his friend before extending a hand to him. While Yu had probably been meaning to go in for a celebratory handshake or one-armed embrace, Yosuke beat him and ended up throwing both of his arms around him and squeezing tightly. The force knocked Yu back a couple paces, but he ended up laughing and reciprocating the hug fully with a tight embrace of his own.

“I thought these were only for girls,” Yu teased lightly.

In return, the back of Yosuke’s fist lightly bumped his head.

“Shut up, don’t ruin the moment,” Yosuke half-laughed before reluctantly pulling away. Looking up into Yu’s bright eyes, it was a miracle Yosuke wasn’t completely breathless. Seeing his face again was like coming up for air after being submerged underwater for too long. “Holy shit, dude. You look great. I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Yu confessed, rubbing the back of his neck in response to Yosuke’s compliments. “You look great too. Hey, and you wore a jacket like I said.”

“Well, yeah,” Yosuke said, his breath condensing in a puff in front of his face. He then pulled his arms close and rubbed his biceps to generate friction to warm him up. “But I should have brought a coat. It’s way colder than I thought it was. You think I’d be better at checking the weather after everything we went through last year, right?”

Yu smiled at him gently. Perhaps Yosuke was imagining things, but he seemed even more quiet than usual.

“Well, that’s okay,” he replied, suddenly looking bashful as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I brought some spare blankets. I figured it might be chilly, and I didn't want you to be cold.”

Ah. Now the blankets made sense.

Yosuke smiled thankfully and took a seat on the blanket Yu had spread on the ground close to the water’s edge. When he patted the spot beside him, Yu didn’t waste a second joining him on the ground. The teen then brandished another blanket to wrap around their shoulders, thus pulling their bodies even closer than before.

“We’ll be miserable if we don’t cover up more,” Yu said as he guided the blanket over Yosuke’s shoulders trembling shoulders. The relief from the cold was almost immediate, but the intimacy behind the gesture caused Yosuke to chuckle nervously.

The source of his anxiety didn’t stem from his proximity to Yu, but rather from his own racing thoughts.

All the spinning arrows in his brain seemed to point in the very hopeful direction that Yu, the most popular guy in Inaba and probably one of the most sought-after guys at his high school in Tokyo, wanted to be alone with him to tell him something important.

Perhaps he even had something to _confess._

Yosuke didn’t want to get his hopes up too soon. While Yu was a popular guy, Yosuke knew better than anyone that he was also a weird guy. Perhaps the romantic picnic setting that also happened to involve cuddling under a blanket was just a coincidence. Honestly, with Yu, nothing was off the table.

“What’s up with the blankets, dude?” Yosuke finally asked as he drew his knees closer to his chest and huffed a warming breath into his open palms. “Did you want to have the coldest picnic in history?”

It was Yu’s turn to lightly tap Yosuke on the head with his fist.

He then reached over into the shoulder bag he’d put on the ground to weigh down one side of the blanket. Yosuke hadn’t noticed it before, but just from a glance, the bag looked stuffed to the brim. He must have brought a ton of blankets, Yosuke thought to himself.

After rifling around for a few seconds, he brandished a thermos and two mugs. Before Yosuke knew it, Yu was pouring him a cup of steaming hot chocolate. So, that was what had made his stomach grumble before. When Yu slipped the mug into his grip, heat crept back into his fingers and face, but the hot drink wasn’t the cause.

“Drink up,” he said calmly. “Sorry. I heard your stomach grumble, but I didn’t bring any food.”

“Wait, is this seriously a picnic?” Yosuke asked, voice becoming slightly hushed at he stayed at Yu with wide eyes. He prayed silently that he didn’t look as pathetically hopeful as he felt.

“Kind of,” Yu said, tossing him a grin. “Actually, it’s stargazing.”

The teen then directed his eyes overhead and sighed. When Yosuke followed the direction if Yu’s gaze, he found that the night sky over them was positively radiant. In addition to the bright-white moon, the sky was littered with hundreds of unevenly clustered stars. Some shone bright white, which others had subtle red or blue tints that Yosuke had to squint to identify.

“When I moved back to Tokyo, I forgot that the light pollution is so bad that it’s nearly impossible to see the stars,” Yu said softly.

He was right. Yosuke remembered being shocked when he’d moved in Inaba for the first time with his family after living in the city for so long. The first clear night after his arrival, he must have stared out his window at the night sky for at least half an hour. For Yosuke, who was more into music and video games than nature, it was an oddly mesmerizing distraction. He’d been captivated by just how clear a night sky could look without the hazy glare from a million cars and skyscrapers impeding his vision.

Now, he found himself spellbound not just by the sky, but also be the company he was enjoying it with.

“It really is beautiful,” Yosuke admitted with a long, drawn-out sigh.

The teen took a sip of hot chocolate to calm his nerves, and as usual, he could taste the distinct quality of Yu’s flawless cooking. The flavorful drink tasted even better than it smelled, but that was to be expected. The amazing taste only served as another reminder of his how much he adorned his partner.

Yosuke took another sip of the warm concoction and hummed in satisfaction. “Also, this hot chocolate is awesome! Thanks, Yu.”

Hearing the declaration of gratification elicited a chuckle from Yu, who nodded his sincere thanks in return before returning his attention back to the stars overhead. The reaction caused Yosuke to roll his eyes in resignation. It seemed his partner was still as humble as usual.

A silence stretched between the two as they remained tucked under the blankets of stars. Constellations and lights lingered over them in dizzying patterns that sent Yosuke’s pupils traveling across the entire horizon in an attempt to take in the full grandeur of the sight before them. Honestly, he couldn’t remember the last time he’s seen a night sky look so perfect. It was like something out of a cliché movie that, if he hadn’t been living the moment, he would have shrugged it off as too trope-y.

It was a perfect night.

Still, something didn’t add up.

“So, is this why you came back a day early?” Yosuke asked curiously as he forced his eyes away from the stars and back onto Yu. “You wanted to stargaze? Dude, we could have done that anywhere. I don’t want you to freeze for me!”

Yu visibly bristled at the question, although Yosuke couldn’t understand why. One of his chestnut brows lofted quizzically at his partner’s strange reaction.

“Well…actually, no,” Yu admitted after a few seconds of uncharacteristic fidgeting. He sat his mug off to the side and turned to face his friend more directly. “That’s not the only reason. Actually, I…”

Yu’s breath caught in his throat as he stared down at Yosuke, his face illuminated only by starlight. The remaining half of his sentence fell away as their conversation ebbed completely in favor of staring into each other’s eyes.

The soft sound of waves lapping at the shore was deafening compared to how silent the rest of the city was around them. It was so quiet that his heartbeat seemed to thud in his head like a drum. Yosuke’s breathing, which was only a soft rhythm, seemed to intensify with each second. Yosuke broke eye contact for just a second to survey the scenery around him. Just as he thought, they were alone together.

“Yu?”

He hadn’t met to say his partner’s name out loud. It was as if his heart had spoken for him, calling out the name of the person he desperately longed to drift closer to until there was no space left between them.

“Yeah?” Yu answered. Although, the word was more of a gasp than a reply. “What is it, partner?”

When Yosuke’s eyes lifted to meet Yu’s for the second time, the moment was nothing short of kismet. It was as if all the stars in the world had finally aligned into place to create the perfect prophetic moment.

Topaz orbs met silver ones as their faces drifted closer. Yu’s hand lifted from the fleecy blanket to cup Yosuke’s cheeks, where he could feel the warmth of his skin steadily rise. Yosuke leaned in closer as well, but not before placing the mug of hot chocolate safely off to the side. His fingers closed around the leathery material of Yu’s jacket as he scooted forward for better leverage.

Their knees bumped clumsily and the blanket bunched beneath them as they rearranged their bodies in an attempt to find a more natural fit. Guided more by instinct than logic, the rest of the world was nearly forgotten as their lips rested millimeters apart.

All of a sudden, Yosuke stiffened and pushed back.

“Yu, hold on,” he rasped, his hand flying to Yu’s chest to bring their closeness to a halt. “Wait. I need to tell you something first.”

The silver-eyed teen froze in sudden terror as he started to back away, fearing he’d offended Yosuke and taken his unspoken affection too far. It wasn’t until he felt the flattened palm Yosuke had thrust against his chest drift down to cover his hand that his nerves began to still.

When he looked back up, Yosuke’s gently blushing face was staring back at him with dazed eyes and parted lips.

“What’s…wrong?” Yu barely managed to ask. The expression on Yosuke’s face had almost robbed him completely of the ability to speak for a moment. Then, as the realization of what he’d almost done sank in, Yu blinked away his lust in exchange for of wide-eyed concern.

“Oh no,” he gasped, dread pooling in his gut. “Yosuke, I’m so sorry, I…”

“No, please don’t be sorry!” Yosuke replied quickly. He then swallowed loudly and started to fidget aimlessly with his hands, as if his mind was searching for the perfect words to vocalize his emotions.

“I just…I want to tell you first,” he confessed quietly after a few moments of awkward musing. “I _need_ to get it off my chest.”

Yu’s mouth was so agape that he imagined he must have looked like one of the fish swimming in the river nearby. “You wanted to…tell me first?”

Yosuke inhaled deeply before proceeding. Yu could feel his friend’s trembling hands ball into fists against the thick material of his jacket.

With fistfuls of cloth in each tensely clenched hand, Yosuke held Yu firmly as he gathered the courage to finally say what he’d been longing to finally tell his partner for so long.

“Yu…I really like you,” Yosuke admitted in a voice that was barely above a whisper. “Actually, hell, that’s not true. I promised I wouldn’t lie and, honestly…I don’t just like you. I think… _I love you_.”

The world roared to life around Yu as if he was suddenly stuck in the midst of a symphony. Every sound, every sight and every star in the sky became a thriving landscape of beacons vying for his attention.

However, Yu could only stare back at Yosuke with wide, unblinking eyes. No other sight, no matter how spectacular, could have distracted him from the brunet before him.

Apparently, the undivided attention was a little too much for Yosuke to handle. The combined adrenaline from his confession and the way was looking back at him was causing his already flushed face to deepen to an almost unhealthy shade of raspberry. The redness on his cheeks made his freckles even more pronounced than usual.

“Okay, _now_ you can say something!” Yosuke snapped, his voice strident against the surrounding silence. After sucking his breath back between his teeth and taking another look around to make sure none of the nearby residents had emerged from their houses to investigate the yell, he averted his gaze back onto the blanket below. “Say something. Anything. Please, Yu.”

It only took Yu half a second to grant his partner's request.

He rocked forward on his knees and planted a kiss on Yosuke’s cheek. When the teen snapped his head upright in response to the intimate touch, Yu pushed his mouth fully against Yosuke’s with a desperate moan.

When Yosuke felt Yu’s lips on his own, he was gone.

The teen had dreamed of the moment for so long, literally and figuratively, that he knew exactly when he wanted to do. When Yu threw his weight onto him and covered his mouth in a searing kiss, his hands flew to his hair and held on.

With the taste of chocolate still on their lips, their jaws met over and over in abandon. They kissed each other lips, their eyelids, and their cheeks. At one point, Yu ended up missing Yosuke’s mouth and placing a kiss on top of Yosuke’s nose. The two shared a light laugh before Yosuke gently nudged Yu back in the right direction in the darkness, and their blissful grins were absorbed back into the rhythm of their kiss.

When they finally broke apart, the freezing air made their gasps condense into thick puffs between their faces. Their chests met rhythmically with each heave and the foreheads barely touched as their neck muscles slackened.

A laugh rumbled deep in Yu’s chest as his silver eyes met Yosuke’s topaz ones. “Hey. I never told you how I felt.”

This time, Yosuke laughed in response to his boyfriend’s teasing.

“I think you just did,” Yosuke drawled, eyes still glassy from their feverish kiss. 

“You deserve to hear it,” Yu insisted, his hands ghosting over Yosuke's shoulders to return to his cheek.s His thumbs gently stroked the skin beneath his lower lashes. He then bent his head gently to place a worshipping kiss on Yosuke's brow. "Partner, I love you too."

Yosuke's eyes crinkled at the edges. "Partner..."

"I think, in some way I have for a really long time. Now, I wish I'd told you sooner."

"Partner..."

"You deserved to hear it a long time ago," Yu admitted with a sheepish sigh. "I'm sorry."

Neither one of them wanted to move from their comfortable position under the blanket. Although the stars overheard were long forgotten, Yosuke found himself gazing at the bright orbs of silver in his boyfriend's eyes instead. 

He bit his lip mischievously and said, "Well, everyone is going to want to hang out with you tomorrow, right?"

Yu laughed in resignation. "Yeah, probably."

"So, we'll just have to make up for lost time tonight, right?" Yosuke asked, tossing him a wink. He then grabbed the edge of the blanket and yanked it over his disheveled head, casting his entire body in a warm shadow. He then crooked a finger for Yu to come closer and said, "You up for it, partner?"

Less than a second passed before Yu dove under the blanket and joined his boyfriend in the combined warmth of the blankets, and each other's arms, under the same sky where they'd met years ago.

For Yu, every moment with Yosuke was like seeing a shooting star, Everything was a blur, and the moment always passed to quickly. 

Yet, he cherished each precious second like it was the last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this fic! I hope I'll see you back here again tomorrow for Day 8!


	8. Day 8: Costumes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke end up trying on some interesting outfits in a second-hand store.

“Dude! How hot would I look walking down the aisle in this, huh?”

Yosuke had emerged from the fitting room donned in a creamsicle-colored suit jacket with flashy white trim. The satin material looked unusually wet under the buzzing fluorescent lights of the second-hand shop. As he swiveled and extended his arms to strike a few poses. Yu watched from a few feet away, chuckling into his fist at the ridiculous sight.

“I’d say…about lukewarm. Maybe tepid.”

He grinned smugly as Yosuke slumped over in defeat, his arms hanging limply at his sides like the leaves of a wilted flower. 

“I’m just trying to spice up our wedding!” Yosuke said as he crossed his arms and assumed his typical idle stance. His posture hadn’t changed, even after they’d graduated high school and moved to Tokyo. 

"I'd rather save the spice for the honeymoon," Yu suggested on the off chance he could make his fiance blush in public. Sure enough, the statement brought a sudden flush of color to Yosuke's cheeks that hadn't been present seconds before.

“C’mon, partner,” he groaned as Yu continued to shake his head at the sight of his atrocious outfit. “It was your idea to be frugal and shop the second-hand store first for our wedding. I’m just taking your idea to heart.”

Two silver eyes sharpened into a knowing stare.

“That is _not_ what I said,” Yu replied flatly. “What I _actually said_ that it might be smart to look inside the second-hand store for a few things. I was thinking about a sachet for the rings. Maybe a few napkin holders or something. I know we still need so tealights for the reception tables. I was not thinking that we should get our suits from here.”

“Hey, I wasn’t either,” Yosuke admitted playfully as he stroked the sleeves of the pale orange jacket, “At least, not until I found this bad boy.”

It seemed that Yosuke was not about to be swayed in his affection for the absolutely garish garment.

“You look like you’re ready to take me to prom,” Yu said as his eyes scanned Yosuke’s outfit again. Nope, it was just as bad to look at on the second viewing. He couldn’t resist smiling warmly at the sight. “A prom in the 1980s.”

“That’s not a bad look,” Yosuke argued as he continued to look down his front at how the jacket laid down his chest and stomach. It was a little baggy, but the fit honestly wasn’t too bad otherwise. “Hey, it’s better than when I had to wear that outfit back in high school for the Yasogami High Beauty Pageant. Remember how ugly that was? This is nothing compared to that.”

The self-deprecating comment earned him a few wide-eyed blinks from Yu.

“I thought you looked cute,” Yu said honestly. “Just for the record, I would be okay with you wearing a strawberry hair-tie to our wedding, by the way.”

“Very funny,” Yosuke said, rolling his eyes before turning back to the mirror. He snapped the lapels taut again before humming in thought.

“You’re right,” he said after one more turn in the mirror. “It’s a little too dated for our wedding, but you can bet that I’m totally going to wear it when we go on the double-date with Chie and Yukiko next week.”

A hand flew to Yu’s mouth in mock terror. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Well, not by myself,” Yosuke admitted before turning to Yu and flashing him a wide smile. “You should try something on too, yeah? Then we'll totally match! That would be so much better!”

Yu blinked back at Yosuke again before slowly swinging his gaze back and forth across the store’s selection. A quick scan of the store’s racks didn’t yield anything that was appealing to Yu. Then again, it did provide a fairly convenient opportunity for him to tease Yosuke. There had to be something in the store he could pick out that would add a little extra fun to Yosuke's suggestion.

A secret smile danced on Yu’s lips for half a second before he nodded in agreement to the proposition.

“Alright,” Yu conceded with a nod. “Don’t look though. I want it to be a surprise.”

The suspicious stare Yosuke offered him hardly dissuaded Yu from his plan and he turned and began to navigate the awkwardly spaced racks of the stores. More of the outfits he found were pretty typical fare for an average second-hand store. Contrary to what Yosuke had found, plenty of the items were perfectly suitable for everyday wear and wouldn’t have raised eyebrows if worn out in public.

That boded a problem for Yu’s plan. He needed something even more daring than Yosuke’s choice.

Not one to be bested easily, Yu sidled into the back of the store’s formal wear section and began to rifle through the racks in search of something that wasn’t box-shaped and neutral in color. Honestly, most of the store was starting to just look like his closet back in the apartment he shared with his fiancé.

After a few minutes of searching, the tips of his fingers came in contact with a silky material that was strung with a floral bead pattern. The garment was white in color and plush to the touch. When he pulled it off the rack and scanned it from top to bottom, he knew he'd found the winning garment.

_Perfect._

He folded the long dress over his arm casually and strolled back to where the dressing rooms were. Along the way, he was extra careful to remain outside Yosuke’s line of sight in order to reassure the grand reveal was a surprise.

As soon as the coast was clear, he dove inside and quickly closed the door before his fiancé could peek inside.

The second the fitting room door shut with a thud, Yosuke turned his head toward the sound from a few racks over.

“Partner? Are you there?”

Yu tucked his chin close to his chest as he reached over his head to pull off his t-shirt. He decided to keep his trousers on due to the length of the skirt and began to pull the cloud of puffy tulle over his face.

 “Yeah, I’m just trying something on,” Yu said from behind the changing room door as he pulled the layer of crinkling petticoats over his head of silver hair. The thick material of the gown muffled his voice slightly and the itchy material scratched his face worse than a cheap razor.

However, on the other side of the door, the news seemed to thrill Yosuke. “You are? Awesome! Dude, you gotta let me see.”

It took a massive amount of self-restraint for Yu to not chuckle too loud.

“Wait right there,” Yu said as he smoothed the lace collar against his chest. He could hardly wait to see Yosuke’s reaction.

When he was finally dressed in the garment, his tossed his mussed hair out of his eyes looked in the mirror one last time to make sure he’d pulled everything on correctly. After a few spare tugs and pulls, he pushed the door open softly to exit from the changing room.

Just as he thought, Yosuke was leaning one of the nearby clothing racks while he waited for him to finish changing. Upon hearing Yu exit the room, his topaz eyes soared to meet his excitedly.

“Hey part—”

The man’s jaw fell open as soon as he saw his husband-to-be exit the changing room in a full-bodied wedding gown.

The crisp, white material only seemed to bring out the fine bone structure in his face even more, and the dress's plunging neckline left very little to the imagination. The slit opened almost all the way to his navel, with each lacy ridge clinging to his chest and sculpted abdomen on the way down. The sheer material hugged every slope and concave of Yu’s toned shoulders like it was a second skin of sheer, diamond-woven fabric. Yosuke did inevitably notice that the material appeared to be a little tight around his waist and biceps, which created some creases, but also serves to show off the even more impressive swells of muscle Yu had developed since high-school.

When Yosuke finally did speak, the words came out in a high-pitched whisper.

“Holy shit. _Yu_.”

Yu drifted a few steps closer to Yosuke before allowing his hand to rest on his lips and popping a hip outward to strike a pose.

“How hot would I look walking down the aisle in this, partner?” Yu asked in a dreamy falsetto. 

Yosuke gracelessly struggled to find words as Yu picked up the hem of the gown and turned in circles before the mirror, much like Yosuke had done minutes before.

Just when he thought he might have been able to stammer out a full sentence, Yu turned around and revealed that the dress’s back zipper was completely open all the way down his spin. Yosuke could just barely see the band of Yu’s boxers and the two indents at the very base of his spine where he knew Yu was secretly ticklish. Just like that, any words Yosuke could have managed were stolen from his lips.

“It’s a little small,” Yu admitted with a light blush and he glanced at Yosuke over his shoulder. “I might need to hide that part with a veil, huh?”

The hypnotic trance that seemed to hold Yosuke captive finally ebbed. His expression slowly changed from astonishment to pure, unbridled adoration.

“Damn, dude,” Yosuke said as he took a step back to absorb the full ensemble. “Seriously, it should be illegal how well you can pull off anything.”

“Really?” Yu asked, his voice vacillating. His confidence from earlier was simultaneously bolstered and shaken at the same time in response to the endearing compliment. Yosuke's praise always seemed to have that effect on him.

“Yeah, you look great,” Yosuke confirmed with a wide grin. “I mean, _wow._ Leave it to you to pull off looking good in a wedding dress.”

Yu smirked back at Yosuke as his gaze drifted down to the small sliver of space that still lingered between their bodies. The sight of orange satin juxtaposed against the pillowy, white tulle was enough to start making Yu crack up right in the middle of the store.

“We make quite a pair, huh?” Yu remarked idly, looking down at Yosuke with a soft expression that was absolutely irresistible. The words had barely left his lips before Yosuke leaned in and gently brought their mouths together in a kiss. Yu sighed contently against his partner’s mouth, his hands coasting up Yosuke’s arms to rest atop the padded shoulders of the ridiculous blazer he was still wearing.

The two ended the kiss faster than either would have liked due to being in public. Not to mention, the polyester material of both their outfits was hardly as breathable as either would have preferred for anything that threatened to raise their body temperature.

“I’d say so,” Yosuke finally agreed with a nod. “Well, we didn’t find anything for our wedding, but honestly…the knowledge that you look hella good in a dress is kind of enough for me. I'm chalking today up as a victory in my book.”

 "Speak for yourself," Yu replied with a dashing smile and he ruffled Yosuke's head of shaggy, dark brown hair. "Honestly, if anyone could pull off an orange suit jacket, it would be you. However, I think I'd like it even more if you weren't wearing the jacket. Or, really, if you weren't wearing _anything_ at all."

Years of dating and months of engagement to Yu and his niche sense of humor barely trained Yosuke to not accidentally guffaw in the middle of the store.

"How about _you_ speak for yourself?" Yosuke fired back, punctuating the sentence with another roll of the eyes. Then, his demeanor seemed to shift as their eyes locked and the fire that had been temporarily quelled was stroked back to life between them. It was becoming harder and harder to take his eyes; off of Yu's exposed skin and diamond-cut features.

As if reading his partner's mind, Yosuke cleared his throat before sweeping his arm through the air dramatically bowing deeply at the waist. It was an overly gentlemanly gesture that looked as if it was directly from an old romance film. "Well, _my darling bride_ , do you want to head home and put your risque theory to the test?"

A wicked smirk tugged at the corner of Yu's mouth as he reached down and took one of his partner's hands in his own. Before Yosuke had a chance to object, he dipped his head and placed a kiss on the tops of his fingers. The cool metal of the engagement ring against his lips served as a sweet reminder of the bliss they had to look forward to in a few months.

"I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like a terrible sitcom episode...which means it was really fun to write.  
> I have no idea how good this chapter technically is, but I had a total blast writing it! I hope you all enjoyed my take on the "Costumes" prompt.
> 
> I'll see you tomorrow! Same time, same place, same two nerds in love.


	9. Day 9: Summer Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke, now an official couple, spend a summer day at the beach with the rest of the Investigation Team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's totally snowing outside now. So, I wrote a beach fic! Enjoy!

No matter how many times Yu visited the beach, it always rendered him speechless how the ocean seemed to go on for miles. The man had seen Palaces filled with marvels and horrors most mortals would never see and couldn't fathom in their wildest dreams, the sight of the ocean at midday was something Yu treasured deeply.

Miles of gently rolling waves glittered like mica beneath the cloudless sky. The temperature was hot but dry, and the low humidity made it an actually pleasant experience to lay on the shore without the need for him and his friends to crowd under one umbrella and spend all their pocket change on ice cream and soda in futile attempts to fend off the boiling heat.

This time, after so many previous attempts, they’d finally picked the perfect day to go to the beach.

No matter how many times Yu visited the shore with his friends, he never got tired of rolling into the parking lot and seeing the excited looks on everyone’s faces. They’d visited the beach numerous times together while they’d been in high school, and in the passing years, only a few things had changed about their annual rendezvous back to the shore.

One of the most prominent changes was that Yu was in a relationship. More specifically, he was in a serious, romantic relationship with his best friend and partner. Yosuke Hanamura.

It would be a massive relief to no longer hand to hide his lingering gazes or romantic urges. The two could touch or kiss as much they wanted to without a million different levels of hesitant sexual tension muddying their minds.

Their new status as a couple also lent itself helpfully to a couple other situations.

“Hey, partner, can you get my back?” Yosuke asked innocently as he finished applying his first layer of sunscreen before jumping in the ocean. "I can't reach."

Yu looked up from his book with a nod and accepted the bottle from over Yosuke’s shoulder.

“Thanks!” he chirped as Yu coated his hands and began to move his palms in small, circular motions across Yosuke’s already warm shoulders. His fingers smoothed over every inch of his skin with expert dexterity to make sure every inch of his complexion was adequately protected by the sun's rays.

Yu smiled fondly as he continued to move his hands deftly across Yosuke's toned shoulder blades. “No problem.”

It was such an innocent and sweet favor. Yet, before they became boyfriends, Yosuke would have never suggested such an interaction. He would have been too squeamish and nervous to request that anyone, no matter their gender, would get close to him and lather his skin with anything.

Yet, with Yu, things were different. Yosuke was different. While Yosuke had always been the clinging type, he also noticed that Yosuke touched him more often. Sometimes he would gently rest his hand on Yu’s hip while they were waiting in line somewhere.

Sometimes, after one of their movie or dinner dates, Yosuke would reach for Yu’s hand so they could walk with their fingers interlaced. The first couple times, he’d been so nervous at the idea of holding hands that Yu was worried his boyfriend was going to faint. Eventually, he became so comfortable with the contact that it became almost-second nature for the two to hold hands anytime they walked side-by-side each other.

Yosuke had come so far. Hell, they’d both come far, especially in such a short amount of time. Yu remember arriving in Inaba as essentially a blank canvas, with no friends or family to lean on. A year later, he'd made a whole new life for himself and had formed bonds that were so strong that they had literally saved his life. 

Soon after they'd both finally gotten up the nerve to confess to each other, he and Yosuke also became quickly accustomed to sharing more private touches and caresses when they were behind closed doors. The two eagerly learned to worship each other's bodies in completely new ways from between the sheets. Before arriving in Inaba, Yu never would have thought that he'd end up sharing his bed, and so much more, with a city kid he'd pulled out of a trash can after his first day of school.

It didn’t matter if it was sharing a straw to a soda or sharing open-mouthed kisses during a quickie in the shower, their affection toward each other was a sacred bond he didn’t take lightly, and he fully intended to cherish every sacred moment as long as he possibly could.

“Um, dude?” he heard Yosuke ask softly, the voice ripping him from his daydream. “I think you got it all. We’re gonna run out of sunscreen.”

A quick glance at Yosuke’s back confirmed that he must have applied at least have the bottle of sun block up and done the planes of his back. His skin shimmered like the surface of a bronze trophy, and the slightly acidic smell of sunscreen lingered noticeably in the air.

“Oops,” he said with a tiny smile.

Yosuke chuckled and turned around to ruffle his silver bowl-cut lovingly. “Dork.”

“Enjoying yourself a little too much, Yu?” Rise asked playfully as she lowered her sunglasses from a few towels over. Her pink glossed lips formed a catlike grin. “Should we give you two sometime alone?”

Chie snickered at the pair from behind her ice cream cone while Yukiko busied herself with fanning away the heat.

“Oh, leave them be,” she urged, chiding the others gently for their naïve behavior. Naoto looked up from her book in silent agreement, but the impish shimmer in her eyes reflected her true fondness at seeing both her friends together at last.

Teddie didn’t get the maturity memo. The result was a loud wolf-whistle from where he was making a lopsided sandcastle with Kanji.

“I have the keys to the car if you guys need to… _y’know_ ,” Kanji piped up, blushing a little bit as he said the words aloud.

Yu rolled his eyes at his friend’s playful jabs. Even though they were all professional adults with careers, he supposed that some matters of teasing never really died. Not that he minded that much.

In his mind, it was just further proof that his friends were happy to see the two of them together. Such an endearing fact was hardly something to get angry about, in Yu’s mind.

Meanwhile, Kanji’s remark actually garnered a laugh from Yosuke. After Yu finished applying the sunscreen, he stood up and marched on over to their companion, who had let his bleach blond hair grow out it its usual dark color since high school.

Yosuke barely managed to get his hand around Kanji’s bicep as he gently pulled him up from his spot in the sand. He then sauntered over to where Rise was sitting and offered her an invitation to stand up. When she curiously accepted, he pulled her upright with a friendly tug.

Yosuke held both of his friends by the elbows while they shared quizzical looks with each other.

“I think you two deserve a little… _payback_!”

Holding onto his friends securely, but not so tight that they couldn’t break away if they really wanted to, he charged towards the water while pulling both parties along behind him. Their footsteps kicked up waves of sand along the way as the group barreled down the beach.

“What the hell?” Chie asked with a crooked brow as their bodies gradually became smaller. “What is he doing?”

“I think he’s going to dunk them in the ocean,” Yukiko chimed in with a grin.

“Dude, wait a sec!” Kanji yelled awkwardly as he tried to yank his top off with one arm. The result was the shirt collar becoming tangled around his face, thus muffling his half-hearted cries for mercy. “At least let me get my shirt off first! It’s gonna get soaked!”

Along the way, Rise squealed with delight and willing followed her friend to the water’s edge.

They jumped into the surf and allowed the water to roll over their bodies and lift them high over the sandy shore. When the wave broke behind them with a loud crash, three sets of arms and legs emerged from the wall of water as the three friends tumbled in the surf joyfully.

Rise’s laughed was wonderfully carefree and Kanji’s unfiltered declarations about how cold the water was made Yukiko immediately start to crack up.

“Come on in, guys!” Rise yelled as soon as her head bobbed above the surface.

_“Gah, what the hell, man?”_ Kanji yelled. Although his tone was supposed to sound menacing, his wide smile was visible even by the members of the groups still high on the shoreline. When Yosuke only laughed in return, Kanji reciprocated by sticking his strong arms into the water and swinging them in a wide arc to create a splash. The water his Yosuke right in the eyes, causing Rise to laugh so loud that she snorted.

“You’ll pay for that!” Kanji yelled as he continued to create waves of water in Yosuke’s general direction. Thankfully, after the first hit, Yosuke was able to use his speed and dodge the rest with his usual graceful flair. Years outside the T.V. world hadn’t dulled his dexterity one bit.

After a few failed attempts, Naoto stood up from her towel with a sigh and made her way toward the water.

“I’ll help you, Kanji.”

“Hell yeah!” he said, pumping his fist thankfully in her direction. “Thanks, Naoto!”

It wasn’t long before Chie and Yukiko also abandoned their towels to run into the water. Although they’d initially wanted to assist Kanji, but they quickly became more entertained with splashing each other.

Teddie was close behind the two girls. Somehow, he’d managed to do a cannonball into the surf without the aid of a diving board.

“Seriously, you’re all against me?” Yosuke cried as his teammates charged as him from the shore. His soggy head flew a million ways a minute as he tried to anticipate the literal wave of attacks before him. “No fair! I’m totally outnumbered here!”

He quickly dove beneath the water’s surface to evade another splash. When he popped up for air again, his eyes instantly flew to Yu, who was the last person left under their umbrella. Yosuke extended a hand toward to shore to reach for his boyfriend.

“Yu!” Yosuke called with a desperate smile, “You’ll be on my team, right?”

The water made Yosuke’s athletic body glisten and the sun overhead warmed his complexion to a shade that made him look as if he was glowing from within. While Yu would have loved to drink the sight in for hours, it took him less than an instant to remove his sunglasses and bolt into the surf.

He raced forward to clasp Yosuke’s extended hand.

It didn’t matter if it was on sea or on land, or if they were fighting monsters or trying to survive a water fight. No matter what odds they had to face together, Yu would always be Yosuke’s confidant.

In the back of Yu’s mind, the silver-haired man was also perfectly aware that his boyfriend’s reckless dive into the ocean had probably washed all his fresh sunscreen off.

As soon as he helped him win the water fight, he was going to need some help with another application.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for the late-evening updates on these past three installments. I know very few of you are probably reading these the second they come out, but work has been a little crazy lately and I've had to save most of my prompt-writing session later in the evening.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you all again soon. <3


	10. Day 10: Tokyo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu has a terrible day back home in Tokyo. Thankfully, someone arrives at the perfect time to cheer him up.

It had been a very, _very_ long day for Yu.

As if waking up late hadn’t been bad enough, the train he needed to take to school had stalled on the track and created a citywide delay. Upon arriving at school, he’d missed most of his classes and had barely managed to negotiate with his homeroom teacher to allow him to make up the work on a Saturday. If it hadn’t been for the provable and citywide subway incident, they would have given him no mercy.

On his way out of school, a car speeding through an intersection drove right through a large puddle adjacent to where Yu was walking on the sidewalk. The result was a spray of muddy water that, thankfully, only dirtied his school uniform and didn’t cause any damage to his bag, assignments or semi-outdated cell phone.

The entire day had bummed him out. Even though it was a Friday evening, he didn’t want to do anything except head straight home.

His plan was to order some food, change into comfortable clothes and stay on the couch for the rest of the day. Maybe he’d watch some cartoons or a light-hearted, romantic comedy on television. It didn’t really matter what he watched since he knew his parents wouldn’t be home. They were on yet another business trip and, since Yu was a senior in high school and only a few months away from graduating, they had started trusted him in the apartment for extended periods of time. In a lot of ways, it reminded Yu of being a kid again.

While they were gone, he could use the kitchen however whenever he wanted and watch anything he wanted on television without interruption. At least the freedom would be nice, even if it met he was still alone.

As he trudged his way back to his apartment, he thought about how his classmates back in Inaba would have probably been appalled if they knew that he, with the entire city of Tokyo bustling around him, had decided to spend the rest of his day relaxing on the couch to decompress.

Truthfully, he would give almost anything to be back in the rolling countryside. The idea of eating take-out at Aiya’s with the rest of the Investigation Team made his heart ache with equal parts nostalgia and longing.

Just for a second, Yu allowed his eyes to flutter shut the imagine what he truly desired. He wanted to hear Kanji and Teddie’s loud banter. He wanted to watch in awe at how quickly Chie could devour her entire order of food. He longed to hear Yukiko’s crazed cackling and see Rise roll her eyes over-dramatically at her friends’ shenanigans. He yearned to see Naoto push on her glasses and hear her confident voice gently scold their group for being so loud inside the restaurant.

Then, there was Yosuke. He wanted to see him. Yu imagined seeing Yosuke across the table from him, smiling and laughing at something Chie had or Teddie had brought up. He imagined him getting flustered when Rise smiled at him and becoming dejected when one of Yukiko’s icy comments landed a little too hard. He imagined him screaming at Kanji for help when Teddie started clinging to him and thought about how he’d give Naoto his biggest puppy-dog eyes to beg for her help. She wouldn’t, but it would definitely make her laugh. It would make Yu laugh as well.

Yu sank deeper into his thoughts as if he was in a trance. As he climbed the stairs slowly, he continued to imagine Yosuke’s carefree voice and sunny personality. He wanted to reach across the imaginary table in his mind and take Yosuke’s hand and squeeze it in his own. He wanted to feel their hands mold together, skin against skin, pulse against pulse.

He _wanted_ Yosuke.

That’s what he really desired. Yet, he resolved with himself to be satisfied with a quiet evening at home instead. It wasn’t as if he could just teleport back to Inaba anyway. There no point in wallowing in depression about something that was inevitable. He knew better than that.

As he climbed the stairs to his apartment, he heard his cell phone chime in his pocket. It was nice to have confirmation that his phone was still functional after the incident with the puddle.

Figuring it was a message from his parents, Yu reached into his pocket and flipped his phone open to answer.

Instead, he was greeted with a pleasant surprise.

_> yo partner! where r u?_

It was a text from Yosuke.

Yu grinned for the first time all day and leaned against a nearby wall between two of his downstairs neighbors’ doors. While Yu was never one to drop everything he was doing to text someone back, with Yosuke’s message flashing before his tired eyes, his fingers busily punched a reply into his phone's small keyboard.

_> >Just heading home after school. Nothing too exciting._

_> rly? i don’t see you._

Yu stared at the message, completely baffled by the reply.

_> What?_

_> >wait and c when u get 2 ur front door. ;)_

Yu froze on the spot. No way.

He stuffed his phone in his pocket and started to run. His shoes pounded the pavement as he raced up the remaining stairs to his apartment. He held his school bag flush against his midsection to prevent it from swinging about wildly as he forced his body up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him.

As soon as Yu reached the top floor, he raced around the corner. His hand braced the nearest wall as he struggled to gather his bearings and catch his breath.

When his eyes flashed to his door, the visual made his heart ascend.

Yosuke was standing right in front of his apartment door. His slender silhouette was outlined against the city’s vibrant skyline. Even though it was dark, he could make out the distinct puffiness of his favorite jacket and the shape of his baggy cargo pants and soft leather boots. The metallic sheen of his headphones glinted off the fluorescent lights overhead.

Two topaz eyes turned in the dark to meet his. It was like seeing two warm flames flicker in the distance.

Less than a second later, a new text made Yu’s phone ping with a familiar ringtone.

_> there u r ^3^_

Yu dropped his bag and sprinted to meet his friend.

Yosuke, already laughed him joy, stood in place and opened his arms to welcome him into an embrace.

Their bodies met with force what was intense enough to knock Yosuke back a few paces, but nothing more. Yu’s arms circled Yosuke’s slightly narrower midsection as he mashed his face into the furred collarbone of his friend’s coat. He could even smell Yosuke’s distinct Junes-brand cologne, which was a familiar blend of spice and mint that always smelled like home to him.

“Hey partner,” Yosuke said softly, raising a hand to softly stroke Yu’s hair. When he noted the wetness and muddiness of his friend’s clothes, he clicked his tongue in evident disapproval. “Woof. Bad day, huh?”

Yu laughed to himself and pulled away from the hug. He was still desperately trying to blink the tears out of his eyes. “Yeah. Just a bit.”

A sympathetic smile graced Yosuke’s face. “A bad Friday? Ugh, talk about the worst.”

Yu chuckled to himself. Just hearing someone validate his shitty day with an appropriate amount of legitimate sympathy had already lifted his spirits quite a bit. However, the main reason for his happier mood was the fact that, seemingly miraculously, Yosuke was in Tokyo. He was real flesh and blood that Yu and embraced tightly in his arms just moments before.

He had to ask. “I’m so happy to see you, Yosuke. Seriously, you have no idea how happy I am, but…what are you doing here?”

Yosuke bit his lip nervously and let his eyes wander to the ground. After dragging the tip of one of his shoes against the concrete landing, he sighed in resignation.

“Okay, I know this is gonna sound weird, but…I have to come clean,” he said quietly. His voice was so low that even the buzzing of the overhead bug lamps could have completely drowned him out.

Yu shook his head resolutely. “It won’t be weird.”

Apparently, his confident tone had given Yosuke the extra amount of courage he’d needed.

“The reason I’m here is because...I just felt like I needed to see you,” he admitted sheepishly. "Actually, I wanted to see you."

When Yu titled his head in confusion, Yosuke elaborated with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “I noticed you’ve been…different lately. When we texted or we talked on the phone, you didn’t sound happy. When you mentioned last week that your parents were leaving you alone in the apartment again, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

He then gestured to the ground again, beckoning Yu’s eyes to follow. Beside one of Yosuke’s shoes were a couple groceries bags. Yu could see from the openings at the top that they were filled with cooking ingredients, some produce and even a few instant meals from the convenience store.

“I thought that I’d surprise you by coming over and cooking dinner,” Yosuke said as he reached down and hoisted the bags in the air with a gentle swing. “It’s not much. Just some ingredients for curry and a few pre-made meals. I know you can cook like a beast, but man, it’s got to be exhausting. I wanted to give you a chance to relax and let me take care of it instead!”

Yu was absolutely speechless. His eyes were wide and unblinking as he stared back at Yosuke’s face.

“You came all the way here just to see me? What about school?”

“I skipped classes,” Yosuke explained with a light laugh. “My parents won’t be happy, but I had to leave early today if I wanted to get here to surprise you in time. I mean, what are partners for, right?”

Wetness returned to Yu’s eyes.

His parents never even bothered travel home even when Yu explicitly asked them. Yet, Yosuke standing before him ready to cook for him and spend time with him because he’d noticed that Yu had felt unhappy.

Even though they were miles away, Yosuke had sensed Yu’s unhappiness. He’d paid attention to his emotions and had taken the initiative to buy a train ticket and travel all the way to Tokyo alone.

He’d even missed a day of classes, so he could wait outside his apartment and surprise him when he arrived.

“I figured we could maybe hang out a little bit, but damn, you look beat,” Yosuke said as he lowered the bags back onto the ground. “Tell you what. How about you get changed into some dry clothes and just relax? I’ll take care of the food, partner! Just kick up your heels and leave everything to _moi_ , okay?”

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Yosuke’s confidence seemed to dip against. He glanced back at Yu after taking an overly-eager step toward the front door. “I mean, unless you don’t want me too. I don’t know if you’re cool with me using your kitchen. We could also just go somewhere to eat. I’ll totally pay too, since I surprised you, and…”

He was rambling. Not liking how his partner’s sudden and negative change in demeanor, he reached down slowly and took Yosuke’s free hand into his own.

Once their fingers were intertwined, he squeezed their palms together snugly.

Their hands molded together, skin against skin, pulse against pulse.

“Please stay,” Yu requested, voice breathy with an aching need. “I would love nothing more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is there any better way to end a crazy busy day of errands than with a glass of red wine and a Souyo fic? Not for me, haha! Although...that probably says more about the quality of my life than the quality of my writing. Huh.
> 
> Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading! I'm sending you guys tons of hugs and kisses. I'll be back tomorrow with more words, phrases and ficlets. <3


	11. Day 11: Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke go on a date, but this time, Yosuke decides to take charge.

Yosuke must have checked his phone over a hundred times as he waited idly in front of the convenience store. Each time he pressed the home button, the screen flashed the same pattern of numbers at him. It was 8:23 p.m., the same displayed time as the last three times he’d checked. He heaved a sigh and slipped the phone back into his jacket pocket. As the seconds ticked by in his head, Yosuke began to tap the heel of his shoe nervously against the vending machine behind him. The rhythm was a song that he couldn’t name anymore, but it brought him comfort to do something musical while he continued to wait.

Yosuke was well aware of why he was so excited. It was because he and his best friend in the world, Yu Narukami, were going to meet up at 8:30 p.m. for a date. Specifically, it was also going to be their first date as an official couple.

It had taken literal years for Yosuke to finally ask his partner out. It hardly helped that, in high school, his fluctuating maturity level and exposure to criminally high levels of toxic masculinity from his previous group of so-called friends from the city had rendered him completely incapable of acting on his emotions properly. The premature death of his crush, Saki Konishi, had also cast a dark shadow over his brain that he just could find the strength to shake for a while. The prospect of loving anyone else, even if she’d secretly disliked him, felt like a betrayal to her.

By the time he’d realized how he felt about his best friend, Yu was all the way back in Tokyo. The pang of loneliness he felt at his absence finally hammered his true affection for the silver-haired, deadpan, cat-loving, fishing enthusiast into his head. It was a special form of torture to talk to Yu any time after the revelation. While every interaction excited him, the conclusion of every message string or phone call only left him longing for Yu.

Now, with Yosuke and Yu both together in Tokyo to attend university, his longing was only condensed to the few moments they were apart.

Thankfully, those prolonged moments had become few and far between.

“Hey, Yosuke. You’re early too?”

The brunet looked up from his phone to see Yu standing a few feet away. His wide-shouldered frame was dressed in a crisp linen shirt and blazer that fit his sleek form to perfection. As expected, Yu looked as if he’d just stepped out of a magazine. Everything about him looked so polished and perfect compared to all the other passerby on the street. 

“Are you looking or leering?” Yu asked and he walked forward to meet his boyfriend. Along the way, he tossed his bangs out of his eyes with a flip of his head.

“Honestly?” Yosuke asked, biting his lip as she stuffed his phone into his pocket, “A little bit of both.”

The two closed the distance between each other and exchanged a soft, chaste kiss. Just the feeling of his partner’s lips, oddly soft and unchapped for how cold the autumnal air had become, pressed against his own was enough to blot out all the feelings of anxiety he’d had before. Yosuke slid his jaw comfortably against Yu’s and lifted a hand to ghost along his boyfriend’s diamond-cut jawline. When his fingertips felt the freshly shaven skin just beneath the thick lining of his coat, the intimacy caused a rush of blood to flow throughout his entire body, including the region located below his beltline.

When he thought he heard Yu moan at his touch, Yosuke reluctantly broke the kiss. When Yu’s face jutted forward thanks to the sudden absence of Yosuke’s exquisite lips, Yosuke couldn’t resist chuckling and appeasing his boyfriend’s ongoing affection by placing a gentle kiss atop his nose.

“Enjoying yourself?” Yosuke asked playfully.

Yu’s exhale was long and hard. “A little too much, actually.”

At this, Yosuke nodded in definite agreement. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t too. We don’t want our date to end early, right?”

While the idea was tempting to take their rendezvous directly to a nearby hotel, both resisted the urge.

“Absolutely not,” Yu said with a light laugh. “After all, you’ve planned an entire evening for us, right?”

It was true. Due to the fact that he’d been the one to ask Yu out on a date, he also took charge of making the restaurant reservations and buying the movie tickets. Yu insisted that it wasn’t necessary, but Yosuke wasn’t about to budge. He wanted to treat Yu to a wonderful evening and, for once, he wanted to be the one to take care of him.

“You bet!” Yosuke said as he eagerly took Yu’s hand into his own. He immediately interlaced their chilled and lifted Yu’s overturned hand to his lips. The princely kiss on his knuckles immediately colored Yu’s cheek a shade of deep crimson.

First, Yosuke escorted Yu all the way to the restaurant he’d made reservations at. Their destination was a romantic café that was adjacent to the movie theater where they would be going later in the evening after dinner. They traveled up to the restaurant's entrance on the second floor and sat in a candlelit booth near the back. They both ordered soft drinks to go with their entrees, which they both savored every bite of. Despite the cafe quaint appearance, the cuisine was more delicious than some of the dishes from the expensive restaurants in Tokyo that Yu's parents always bragged about enjoying.

They chatted about everything from the quality of the food to the amazing view of city block they had from the second-story window. After relishing every bite of their filling dinner, Yosuke suggested that they had enough time to enjoy dessert before rushing off to the theater too quickly. After more insistence from Yosuke that the cafe's desserts were even more amazing than their entrees, Yu conceded and ordered green tea ice cream with adzuki drizzled on top. Yosuke ordered an extra-large affogato, partially for the elegance and mostly for the promising caffeine buzz. They kept both desserts between them, so they could share bites and sips of each other’s dishes easily.

After paying the bill and leaving a generous tip, the duo then meandered the movie theater down the street to enjoy one of the late-night screenings. By now, the crowds had thinned out enough to make it an actually pleasant experience to pick up their reserved tickets and find their seats. 

Contrary to what he wanted Yu to believe, Yosuke had agonized over what movie to choose for literal hours. After researching each screening and doing a quick synopsis check online, he’d finally opted for a dark comedy. He thought the detective melodrama would hit a little to close to home, and that a regular comedy would be too raunchy for a romantic outing.

He was a little bit nervous about his choice. However, considering how niche Yu’s sense of humor was, he thought that the dark comedy would be the best bet.

Sure enough, he was right.

The two laughed throughout the entire movie, and the darker moments of the script between the laughs only added to the surreal feel of the film. It was definitely an artsier flick, in Yosuke's unprofessional opinion. However, one look at the grin on Yu’s face was enough to inspire Yosuke to peer past the veneer or weirdness and legitimately enjoy the film. In fact, he’d probably buy it on DVD once it came out. Then he would have a reason to invite Yu over to his apartment for another viewing in the future.

When they exited the theater hand-in-hand, the previously bustling street was almost completely abandoned. The line sin front of the shops and crowds waiting at crosswalks had evaporated into only a handful of people. It was about midnight when they finally stepped back out into the street and started toward the vague direction of each other’s apartments. Along the way, they discussed the movie’s plot and what moments were their favorites.

After a lengthy discussion and the creation of at least a dozen movie-related inside jokes that none of their other friends would understand, they finally arrived at the intersection where Yu’s apartment building was located. 

Just as Yosuke went to walk him to the lobby safely, a brisk tug on his wrist yanked him back under the streetlight where Yu was still standing. There, he pulled Yosuke close and surprised him with a tender kiss on his brow. The gesture made Yosuke’s cheeks redden, but not in embarrassment. 

“Yu?” he asked, voice cracking just a bit. Despite how much he’d matured, it seemed some of his other high school habits would never fade. “Um…what’s up?”

The tender smile on Yu’s face caught Yosuke off-guard. The expression was so gentle, and yet, also vulnerable.

“Yosuke, thank you so much,” he whispered lowly. “I had a great time.”

Yu’s praise caused a tense wave of pleasure to swell inside of him.

“Really?” he replied weakly. Feeling nervousness creep back into his movements, he reached back to push some of his windblown hair behind his ear. “Thanks, dude! I mean, for the compliment and for coming with me. I had a seriously awesome time. I hope it wasn’t too boring to have me lead the way for once.”

Yu shook his head immediately.

“Not at all. In fact, I learned that I kind of like it when you take charge,” Yu admitted coyly.

If Yosuke hadn’t been sure about the romantic intention behind the statement, the wink at the end certainly made it obvious.

“You do?” Yosuke squeaked. After clearing his throat as smoothly as possible, he added, “Well...um, if that’s the case, then I’m going to take charge again. Right now.”

Yu titled his head in immediate intrigue _._ "You are?"

“Yes," Yosuke insisted with a confident bravado inspired by his boyfriend's evident curiosity. "Actually, hell yeah! I'm taking charge, and I say our date isn’t over yet.”

One of Yu’s silver brows lofted. “Oh, really?”

Following Yosuke’s lead, the two ultimately did end up concluding their date. However, instead of heading to one of the nearby hotels and dropping a fortune on a room of dubious cleanliness, they instead opted to return to the comfort of Yu’s apartment and continue their evening there.

While Yosuke would have liked to bring his boyfriend back to his apartment rather than imposing, they were already across the street from Yu’s building. Besides, judging by the way Yu had released his hand and keenly wrapped an arm around Yosuke’s waist to pull him close, he assumed that Yu didn’t mind the impromptu visit.

Yu barely managed to unlock the front door before his lips were on Yosuke’s, kissing hard and insistently. The gesture elicited a throaty groan from Yosuke, who felt his hearts start to drum furiously in his chest and his knees begin to wobble. He was suddenly even more thankful for the sturdy arm Yu had wrapped around his waist, keeping their bodies and lips irresistibly flush despite the sudden weakness in his legs.

When Yosuke opened his mouth to shudder from the pleasure, Yu’s tongue rolled against his and the rest of the world seemed to melt away. All his senses became enraptured by Yu’s presence and began to soak him in, from the taste of his lips to the feeling of his hardened chest and abdomen through his coat and shirt. Even the blood in his veins seemed to scream Yu’s name.

“Thank you for the amazing date, _leader,_ ” Yu husked against Yosuke’s parted lips. Their mouths molded together again seconds later, rekindling a frantic heat as the door was kicked shut behind them with a loud thud. “Thank you for the idea, but you’re going to relax and I’m going to take care of you. _That’s an order_.”

Any argument was smothered by another kiss that Yosuke had zero desire to struggle away from.

Their _second_ date that evening continued long into the night and into the dawn of the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you're trying to finish a fic, but the carbon monoxide detector goes off. So, then you have to change the batteries in everything just to make extra-sure, and...it's a long process.
> 
> Anyway, I'm sorry for another last minute upload, but thank you guys so much for reading! I seriously appreciate it. <3  
> I'll see you guys tomorrow!


	12. Day 12: Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke gets a mysterious present from his boyfriend in the mail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnd this is where the fic’s rating goes up. We had a good run. Twelve days without smut. Just to be safe, the fic’s rating has been raised and the tags have also been updated!
> 
> [This chapter contains NSFW content.]

“Yosuke, honey, a package came for you!”

Yosuke had been in the middle of removing his shoes after arriving home from a long day of school and work when he’d heard his mother's voice call him from the kitchen. While it wasn’t exactly weird for him to receive packages from his occasional online shopping session (as long as he couldn’t find the items he wanted in Junes), the announcement of a new package that evening struck him as odd. While Yosuke was incredibly exhausted after hours of classes and an arduous shift at Junes on the sales floor, he wasn’t so tired that the weirdness of the statement didn’t strike him. He wasn’t expecting any more packages in the mail.

“It says it’s from Yu,” his mother clarified when his inside musing led to an odd stretch of silence between them.

Yosuke perked up almost immediately. 

His exhaustion was suddenly forgotten ad he fumbled into his house slippers and made his way to the kitchen. There, much to his chagrin, he found his mother giggling at the stovetop. She was doing a terrible job at muffling her delighted laughter at seeing her son get so excited just at the mention of the other boy’s name. She found it incredibly endearing, and if it led to seeing her son’s cheeks redden from her teasing, it was a win-win for her.

“He must have sent you a gift!” she told him with a bright smile. “Aw, he must miss you in Tokyo. What a sweet boyfriend!”

Yosuke smiled to himself as he meandered over to the package on the counter nearby. It was a basic cardboard box, but it was pristinely folded and taped with a crisp precision that only Yu could have pulled off. The cat-themed stamps were also a dead giveaway.

“Yeah,” Yosuke admitted fondly as he took the box in his hands. “He really is.”

“We’ll have to send him a gift in return,” she said while blowing on a spoonful of curry. After a quick taste-test, she made questionable expression before reaching for a nondescript tub of spices. A waterfall of the herbal blend was poured into the curry, causing Yosuke to raise a brow.

“Um…dinner may take a while,” his mother said with another laugh. This time, she was the one blushing. “Um…why don’t you see what Yu sent? I’m sure she sent you a lovely present. By any chance, if the gift happens to be Yu’s amazing curry recipe, please let me know.”

Yosuke’s smirk immediately dissolved into a mirthful laugh.

“I’ll keep you posted, mom,” Yosuke said as he put the package under his arms and started up the stairs to his bedroom. “I’ll be back down soon.”

"Take your time," she called after him. It sounded like dinner was going to take a while. Well, on the plus side, it gave Yosuke plenty of time to investigate the mysterious box.

Once Yosuke had climbed the stairs and arrived at his bedroom door, he took another look at the mysterious package. He held it about an arms-length away and turned it around a few times to look for any other exterior clues that might provide subtle hints to the contents hidden within. After making sure there were no warnings or other stickers about fragility or breakability, he gave the box a light shake. He heard a soft thump and the familiar rustle of packing paper shreds, but nothing more descriptive.

The package weighed less than five pounds, so it was also decently light. At least Yosuke didn’t have to feel guilty about Yu paying expensive postage rates to send him a gift that was ridiculously heavy or bulky. Still, he had to wonder what it was.

Yosuke’s first guess was that perhaps he’d left something at Yu's apartment the last time he’d visited Tokyo to see him, and Yu had decided to mail it back to him in the meantime. While that made the most sense, Yosuke hadn’t noticed anything missing from his luggage after unpacking from his last trip. He was also a surprisingly light packer, so if anything had been absent, he would have noticed it immediately.

Also, it seemed out-of-character for Yu to not let him know at some point during one of their many conversations that Yosuke had left something behind and that he would mail it to him. Or, more realistically, Yu would have probably used it as another excuse for them to meet up and see each other again. At least, that's what Yosuke would have done. The two didn’t have many opportunities to see each other so, if he'd truly had left something behind, it would have been more preferable for the both of them to plan a day or weekend to meet up instead.

Yosuke knew his partner better than anyone. If he had mailed something to Yosuke and not mentioned it, it was because Yu hadn’t wanted him to know about it. He’d wanted to package to be a surprise.

Rather than texting Yu in advance, he decided to just head straight into his room and open it first. Then, he’d be sure to let Yu know that the package arrived safely and to thank him for whatever was inside.

“Alright,” Yosuke said aloud as he placed the box on the floor by his bed. “Enough guessing. Time to reveal your true identity!”

He grabbed a pair of scissors from his desk and ran the blade across the biggest crease of packing tape was severed the entire width across the package. With a couple good snaps, Yosuke popped all the folds free of their tape bindings and finally peered inside. Whatever Yu had sent him, he’d sure wanted to make sure it was safe and packed snugly.

When he finally pulled all the paper and stuffing from the small box, he found another small box inside. Brow furrowing in confusion, he reached in and pulled the smaller box into his lap. It was long and narrower in shape, with a matte black cover and a glossy brocade pattern on the side. It was certainly a very stylish package. Yosuke thought it looked more feminine than masculine in design, but the black-on-black aesthetic was undoubtedly cool.

There were also words on the side of the package that Yosuke had to squint to read.

The words read in delicate script, “Crystal Vibe Ultra.”

Yosuke blinked once. Then, twice. Before he could blink a third time, the lightbulb finally clicked on in his head. The entire length of Yosuke’s back snapped taut as he let the package fall into his lap.

_Oh no._

_No way._

Yosuke pried open the top of the box and practically threw it over his shoulder and across the room. He didn’t even register the sound the carboard box-top made as it smacked the opposing wall of his bedroom.

After just one peek inside the box, he sighed and let his head fall between his shoulders.

Yu _had_ done it.

Yosuke would have never thought in a thousand years that his boyfriend Yu, who was so mature and composed, would send him a sex toy in the mail.

More specifically, Yu had sent him a long, hard, crystal-clear dildo. Even more specifically, according to the small pamphlet of direction that was also conveniently included in the box, Yu had sent him a waterproof, vibrating dildo with five different intensities, a rotating head and spinning shaft.

Yosuke had no idea what a 'spinning shaft' was, but the images of the possibilities made him go wide-eyed.

He started with poking it. Then,very hesitantly, Yosuke reached into the box and took the silicone weight into his hands. It was velvety smooth and cold to the touch.

"What..the hell?"

Yosuke turned the toy over in his hands, his brain still trying to process that Yu had sent him While he grappled to understand the reason behind the gift, he also observed the other physical elements of the object.

For example, the length and girth were above average in size, at least in his opinion. Compared to Yu, the dildo was a little longer and not as thick, which explained why it felt a little different in his hands what he was used to.

The second thing he noticed was that, contrary to most of the toys he’d seen in novelty stores or in porno flicks, there wasn’t jackrabbit-shaped head at the bottom. That was perfectly fine by him, since such an add-on would be useless for his anatomy. Instead, there was a realistic pair of balls at the end that also served as the base for a very large and undoubtedly powerful suction cup. According to the tiny pamphlet, the cup could grip to walls, shower tiles and even bedposts with ease.

“How practical,” Yosuke groaned sarcastically as he tossed the tiny booklet into the trash. He didn’t even want to think about what would happen if he just left the paper out and one of his parents happened across it. He continued to turn the weighty object over in his hands to examine all sides. All the while, he continued to inhale and exhale as evenly as he could manage.

In addition to his overall surprise, there was also a distinct tightness below his beltline that definitely hadn’t been there when he’d first arrived home. While he was definitely surprised by the very sudden gift from his boyfriend, he wasn't put off by it. Far from it, actually.

Aside from the translucent and very noticeably specs of finely milled glitter that made the dildo look more like something one would hang from a ceiling for a dance party instead of using between their legs, the overall shape was quite realistic. Everything from the gently narrowed tip of the phallus to the pronounced veins that ran down the shaft felt familiar under his fingertips.

Yosuke also couldn’t help but notice that thanks to the crystal exterior, he could see through the device's internal machinery and other moving parts. The wires protected beneath the silicone layer led to a small row of buttons near the base of the dildo seemed to control the vibration settings.

Curious, Yosuke pushed the buttons cautiously and felt the object roar to life in his hand. The gentle buzzing gradually turned to a wrist-bending pulse. Even the shaft, which looked as if it had rows of rotating beads, began to rotate and spin with intense speed that caused the phallus to whirl in tiny circles. He practically dropped the toy in surprise and had to perform a complicated juggling act to prevent the whirling mass from bouncing around the room.

“Holy shit, this thing could kill me,” Yosuke said in wide-eyed terror.

Carefully, he placed the dildo back in its box before immediately going to grab his phone. He could practically picture Yu’s smug-ass expression in his head as he went to his recent messages list. Of course, Yu’s name was at the very top.

His fingers began to punch out a couple message that hopefully articulated his level of curiosity.

_> YU_

_> I KNO UR WTCHNG UR PHONE_

_> ANSWR ME_

He sent all three texts all back-to-back, spelling errors and all. Not that he usually cared about that sort of thing, but this time, he especially didn’t want to take any extra time proofreading.

Seconds later, sure enough, a text made his phone buzz. Even less surprising, the text was from Yu.

_> >You got it! Thank goodness. I was worried it had gotten lost in the mail._

Yosuke resisted the powerful urge to slam the screen of his phone between his eyes.

_> yeah i did_

_> BUY Y?_

The next message from his boyfriend came back with a strong over frowny-faces.

_> >Do you not like it? :(_

Yosuke rolled his eyes.

_> its not that_

_> im just surprised i guess idk_

His shrill curiously had certainly taken less time than he would have liked to completely melt away. However, if he had to be honest, he was curious as to what exactly had prompted Yu to send him such a present. The two were in a serious relationship and, in a few months, they’d both be attending university together in Tokyo. They had already planned to move into an apartment together close to the campus. 

In a few months, they’d have all the time in the world to be together. Or, at least, they’d have at least a couple days a week in-between study sessions to be together.

_> >I just thought you might enjoy it. Think of it as a souvenir. I saw it and I thought of you._

_> …y the hell did u think of me???_

_> Why do you think? ;)_

More blood instantly rushed to Yosuke’s groin at the sight of the winking face Yu had typed out. 

_> >dude, thats absoleutely risky. kinda hot, but rlly risky_

_> Absolutely._

_>???_

_> >You spelled absolutely wrong, Yosuke._

Yosuke inhaled as loudly and aggressively as a jet engine. If he’d been able to clearly imagine Yu’s smirk before, Yosuke now imagined him chuckling deeply. It was a maddeningly smooth, deep and undeniably attractive sound that always rumbled deep in his chest. Yosuke thought of all the times, he’d made Yu laugh when they’d been in the middle of kissing, only to feel the silky smooth sound against his own as their tongues met and…

No. Focus, Yosuke.

He needed to think. While Yu was his trusted partner and he obviously loved him deeply, he was not about to let Yu get away with such blatant teasing so easily. If Yu was going to prolong the process of getting a rise out of him, both literally and figuratively, Yosuke thought it would be fitting revenge to do the same to him.

A wide smirk crossed the brunet’s face as he pieced together an idea.

* * *

 

Yu yawned again as he put the finishing touches on his last homework assignment for the evening. It was getting late into the evening, and he knew he’d have to head to bed soon if he wanted any chance of waking up remotely refreshed.

Even though he could have finished his assignment at least an hour earlier, his brain was having a hard time focusing. The main source of his distraction was the constant pinging sound from his cell phone. Every single time he heard the familiar chime, he reached for his phone without hesitation.

He couldn’t resist reading Yosuke’s live reactions after knowing that he’d finally received the present he’d sent in the mail.

Yu hadn’t been lying when he’d told Yosuke that he’d thought of him when he’d first spotted the toy online while doing some personal shopping for himself. Having a long-distance relationship was hard, after all.

He supposed that, if he was being truly honest, a small part of him had been inspired to send the gift to keep Yosuke on his toes in their relationship. A small, dark shred of him was petrified of Yosuke slipping away from him or becoming so bored with their relationship that he would move on. Yosuke thrived on entertainment and excitement, and the longer they were apart, the more Yu became hyper-aware of their distance.

Distance was supposed to make the heart grow fonder, after all. He knew the saying was true for him, but was it true for his partner? Yu didn’t know yet.

All Yosuke had to do was make it to Tokyo, Yu reminded himself. Then they could be together again. They could be the same inseparable duo they’d been in their second year of high school when they'd first fallen head-over-heels in love with each other.

While Yu knew better than anyone that Yosuke was an incredibly kind and caring person that would never just forget him, his experiences in high school had left deep scars. The feelings of abandonment he’d felt and the paralyzing fear of losing his friends to the fog had instilled a paranoia in him that Yu was starting to think would never fully dissipate.

Yu knew it was stupid, but at the end of the day, he really loved Yosuke. He wanted to spoil him, and if he couldn’t satisfy him the way he wanted to, he wanted to at least give him something that would work in his place.

Just the thought of knowing Yosuke might use it occasionally, maybe when he needed to distress or when they had one of their late-night talks where they did anything but actually talk and mostly just moaned each other’s names back and forth while jerking off beneath the covers of their beds, was well worth it. It was hardly romantic, but it worked.

Even the thought of Yosuke opening the gift for the first time was making him somewhat hot and bothered. Shortly after receiving the first series of messages, he'd had to discard his sweatshirt and pull on a simple t-shirt to stop himself from becoming overheated at the thought alone.

Their conversation had been pretty speedy at first. They’d volleyed replies back and forth pretty quickly, with Yu enjoying every second of their basic conversation much more than the complicated essay assignment he told his parents he’d be focusing on while they spent yet another night out to dinner.

Since then, it had been almost half an hour since Yosuke’s last reply.

Just when Yu was about to succumb from the suspense and send a casual follow-up text, his phone buzzed to life again.

This time, Yosuke was calling him.

Yu’s hand flew to the phone to pick up the line.

“Yosuke?” he asked, trying to keep his voice even as he spoke. By some miracle, he managed to avoid stammering and controlled his breathing long enough to manage a single word.

The miracle was short lived. Less than a second later, the delicious sound of Yosuke’smoaning his name caused him to go rigid. His breath sounded as if it was coming in frantic gasps, and he swore he could hear a slight creaking sound in the background that Yu wanted to believe as coming from Yosuke's bedframe.

“ _Ohhhh, partner…”_ the voice on the other line moaned seductively, his break hitching at the end. 

Yu’s entire body stiffened almost immediately, each sultry word traveling right to the growing arousal between his legs. Yosuke’s voice on the other end of the line was pitched with obvious desire, with each syllable was drawn out with definite longing.

“Y-Yosuke?” Yu rasped, still at a loss for words. He gripped the side of the table for support as he leaned closer into his phone. He could already feel his flushed cheeks starting to heat the screen.

“I have a question for you, partner,” he heard Yosuke groan. After a few more gasps, he let out a desperate whimper. “It's...a little spicy though. Mmm…will you help me? Please, Yu?”

Yu sucked a breath between his teeth and nodded. Then, realizing Yosuke couldn’t see him, he cleared his throat and said, “I’ll…try.”

Then, like a switch had been flipped, Yosuke’s voice switched completely back to normal.

“Well, my mom is making curry tonight and had some question about the recipe,” he said, suddenly talking as if they were having an everyday conversation. “She wanted me to ask you for some help since, you know, I’m not the best chef or anything, haha!”

While Yosuke continued to chuckle at his own joke, Yu was almost stunned silent.

“…What?”

“My mom is making curry and wanted some tips,” Yosuke re-explained with his usual amount of cheerfulness. “You know, with spices and all that junk.”

A palpable silence stretched between them. Yu wasn’t sure how long it was before he was finally able to make a sound again.

When he finally gathered his nerves enough to form any noise, it came out as a low chuckle. Then, his chortle eventually morphed into full-on laughter. Yosuke was quick to join in until both of them were laughing along with each other.

“I guess revenge is _actually_ a dish best served spicy,” Yosuke said in his most pleasant singsong voice. "What do you think, partner?"

Yu could only laugh in resignation and shake his head. “I...might have deserved that. Good job, Yosuke. That was some pretty good payback.”

While Yu continued to chuckle, Yosuke suddenly went silent on the other line. Noticing the lack of a reply, Yu paused his chuckling narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the sudden change. “Um, Yosuke?”

“So, you think that’s payback?” Yosuke asked him again. This time, the lilt in his voice returned from moments before when he’d been acting suspiciously well. “We’ll see about that. Hold on a second, partner.”

Then, Yosuke hung up. Yu was so startled that he kept the phone plastered to the side of his face for at least another ten seconds afterward.

“Huh?” Yu asked, blinking stupidly at his phone as if the blank screen would yield the answer he was seeking.

Thankfully, mere seconds after hanging up, a notification for a new text message from Yosuke popped up. Yu opened the text message and, this time, he was greeted with a picture instead of a text reply.

His silver-eyes shot open at the sight of Yosuke laying on his back in his bed, legs spread and the dildo bottomed-out inside him. His erection was engorged arced all the way to his navel. A single drop of precum lingered deliciously at the very tip of the thick, swollen head. The deep blush on his face highlighted his freckles and bright, topaz-colored eyes absolutely perfectly. Yu couldn't have dreamed up a sexier vision of his partner.

Attached to the photo was a message that Yu immediately went to open.

_> spicy enough 4 u, partner? ;)_

Yu immediately called him back, and this time, Yosuke was more than eager to stay on the line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And nobody got any sleep that night.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's a little weird, but I hope it was worth the wait. Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end, and I'll see you all again tomorrow for the 'Cuddling' prompt!
> 
> Bye for now!


	13. Day 13: Cuddling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke spend some quality time cuddling on the couch.

It was an absolutely perfect evening.

Dojima was still at the precinct wrapping up cases and Nanako was staying over at a friend’s house for the night. Neither of them would likely return to the house until the next day, when Yu was well aware his uncle had scheduled some well-deserved time off to actually sleep and spend time with Nanako, who would also be home to help take care of the house. The teen was looking forward to spending some quality time with his uncle and cousin in the upcoming days. Even better, he also had a few days off from school to stay huddled inside, safe and away from the snowy weather.

Until then, Yu had the house all to himself.

More accurately, he and Yosuke had the house to themselves.

The two teens were laying on the couch in the living room, wrapped in each other’s arms and cuddled together in a warm embrace. Their legs were already, and their fingers idly stroked and caressed wherever their arms happened to land around each other’s bodies.

The two hadn’t originally intended to spend the whole evening cuddling and watching the snowfall.

They arrived home after a long day of school and, almost instantly, they’d changed into lounge clothes. Yosuke had brought a change of clothes in his backpack and was beyond relieved to change out of his school uniform upon arriving at Yu’s house.

Once they’d both changed, the two immediately began chopping and seasoning various ingredients to throw in a large pot for an extra-spicy batch of curry.

Once that was done, Yu set the pot to simmer for a few hours and practically pulled Yosuke onto the couch. Not wanting to argue, Yosuke went to him willingly and tucked his head under his partner’s chin as they reclined on the sofa.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a more perfect day,” Yosuke suddenly confessed. His voice was a low whisper, as to not disturb the quiet around them. The only other sound in the apartment was the soft boiling sound coming from the curry contents simmering on the stovetop. The snow continued to fall outside, as soft and quiet as the flapping of bird’s wings.

Yu bent his head slightly to drop a kiss on Yosuke’s head. He ran his hands up and down Yosuke’s back, feeling the slopes and planes of his familiar body beneath the knitted layer of fabric the brunet’s sweater created.

“I think I may have to agree,” Yu replied, blushing softly when Yosuke rolled in his arms so their faces could linger more closely than before. The duo exchanged more soft kisses, with Yosuke paying special attention to dotting Yu’s jawline with the delicate touches. Each touch earned a thankful moan, and Yu made sure to crush Yosuke even tighter against his heart.

“I wish we could stay like this all winter,” Yosuke confessed as his lips pressed to the corner of Yu’s mouth. The touch earned him a low, throaty gasp.

“I know,” Yu sighed wistfully. His warm hands slide slowly down Yosuke’s back again before finally coming to a stop at the base of his spine. There, his thumbs rubbed consoling circles into his skin, barely lifting up the edge of his baggy sweater in the process.

“I never want to go outside again,” Yosuke teased, burying his face against Yu’s chest and kissing the rapid pulsebeat. Yu laughed at the ticklish sensation before letting his head fall back on the pillow with a soft thud. “Yu, I’m living on this couch with you forever. You can’t leave ever again.”

Yu pursed his lips to try and suppress an honest laugh.

“What about our friends?” he asked with a curious smirk.

“They can visit us here,” Yosuke said simply, drawing his arms tighter about his partner’s waist as if to exemplify his seriousness. “Nanako and Dojima are already here, so they can see you whenever.”

Yosuke’s stubborn streak never ceased to amuse him.

“What about your parents, Yosuke?”

“Teddie can be their son,” he replied with a nod. His face was still stubbornly buried against Yu’s chest. Yu could feel his partner’s hot breath against his skin through the knitted material.

“You don’t mean that,” Yu said softly.

A couple of gentle fidgets did the trick at forcing Yosuke to lift his head and look at him again. As soon as his silver eyes met Yosuke’s caramel-colored ones, Yu couldn’t resist lifting one of his hands from his spine to stroke Yosuke’s cheek. With barely a brush of his fingertips, Yosuke’s eyes fluttered shut. He leaned against Yu’s touch until his entire cheek was formed to the familiar texture of Yu’s slightly calloused palm.

The mere sight was enough to make Yu’s heart swell.

“Your parents would miss you too much,” he said in a tone of gentle yet loving maturity. His fingers continued to stroke the brunet’s hair as he said, “I know I’d miss you if you suddenly vanished from my life. I’d chase you down to see you again.”

“Yeah?” Yosuke asked with a small smile. “Man, you must really love me to go through all that trouble.”

“I know I do.”

Yosuke’s eyes blinked open. “What?”

Yu froze suddenly, his fingers stiffening against Yosuke’s cheek as if his flesh had scalded him. “What?”

The silence around them suddenly became all too deafening as Yosuke stared back at him with wide topaz eyes. Apprehension immediately set into Yu’s bones as floundered to explain himself properly. His usually keen mind was raced frantically to pinpoint the correct string of words that might suffice to explain his emotions.

“What did you just say, partner?” Yosuke asked curiously.

Yu looked up from his semi-panicked daydream and looked at Yosuke’s face again. Almost immediately, he noticed that the anxiety or nervousness he’d expected to see reflected back at him were nowhere to be found.

Although his expression was inquisitive, there wasn’t detectable fear or anxiety in his friend’s gaze. Yu and Yosuke had fought enough perilous battles at each other’s side to know what fear flashed across their features looked like.

Yosuke didn’t look scared. Hell, he didn’t even look nervous.

Yu felt his chest pound painfully at the mere idea of hiding his feelings any longer. After a few indulgent seconds of preparation, Yu took a cleansing breath to gather his courage.

“I said, ‘I know I do,’” he repeated softly. Then, more clearly, Yu whispered, “I love you, Yosuke.”

The other teen made a sound that sounded like a long, steady inhale. Yosuke’s expression changed from curiously to another, more measured expression that Yu wasn’t sure he could pinpoint. Expecting the worse, or at least the beginning of a very long and very awkward conversation, he braced himself for whatever reply Yosuke decided to offer him.

“That’s…the first time one of us has said that aloud,” Yosuke started, laughing rapidly as a grin slowly spread across his face. “Honestly, it’s really nice to hear it. I thought I was going crazy, but as usual, you beat me to it.”

Anxiety was replaced with anxiousness as Yu felt Yosuke sit up slightly from their reclined position. As Yosuke’s face lingered over his, the shadows of snowfall from the window nearby coasted down his soft features. The effect was a surreal vision that stunned Yu to silence until the spell was finally broken by Yosuke’s hands cupping his cheeks.

“I love you too, partner,” Yosuke murmured as his thumbs stroked the high points of Yu’s flushed cheekbones. “More than anyone else.”

The world seemed to stop at that very moment. For a split second, Yu felt like he and Yosuke were at the center of the entire universe, right within the sleepy, countryside town of Inaba.

 _“Yosuke,”_ Yu gasped in equal parts elation and disbelief. “You…”

His fingers drifted to Yu’s lips to silence him temporarily while he continued to speak.

“I didn’t know how I felt for a long time,” he admitted somewhat sheepishly, averting his gaze from Yu’s eyes to instead stare at the spot where his face had been buried against his chest mere moments before. “What I felt for you, I haven’t felt since…well, since Saki was alive.”

Again, Yu desperately opened his mouth to reply, as if the mention of Saki’s name made him want to lasso his emotions right back into his heart. The last thing he ever wanted to do was cause Yosuke any pain, and when he heard him mention Saki’s name so ruefully, Yu’s reaction was immediate.

Despite his silent plea and muffled apology, Yosuke forced Yu back into silence yet again with the delicate push of his fingers against Yu’s slightly parted lips.

“For a while, I didn’t know what to think,” Yosuke confessed with a sad smile. “I felt even more lost then I did when I first moved here. When we started to hang out more and grow closer after I got my Persona…I started to feel things for you. I knew I felt _something_ , but me being me, I had no effin’ clue what it was.”

Yu laughed a little bit, which helped ease some of the tension between them.

“I thought that, because what I felt for you was different from what I felt for Saki, I must have been wrong,” Yosuke said, slowly leaning down to close the distance between them with each word. “Then…I realized, the reason everything feels different with you is because…I don’t feel the same way about you that I did with Saki.”

Yu’s pulse spiked at Yosuke's soft-spoken concession.

“You don’t?” he asked, his mouth suddenly dry.

Yosuke shook his head as he inched closer to close the distance between them. Right before he reconnected their lips, he whispered the words, “It isn’t the same, and it’s because I love you even more.”

When their mouths met again, Yu couldn’t have pulled away if his life depended on it. His hand gripped Yosuke’s hips with newfound strength as their bodies rolled together against the sofa. As Yosuke straddled Yu and continued to mold their mouths together again in quiet desperation, Yu truly did think about wrapping his arms around Yosuke and never letting him go home again.

At least for one evening, neither of them had to worry about leaving each other’s arms for a few hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The biggest cliffhanger is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CURRY?  
> Don't worry, they ate it later that night.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end! I love every single one of you, and I'm sending you all hugs, kisses and good vibes. Bye for now!


	14. Day 14: Fantasy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Yosuke and his butler, Yu, have a special closeness that they can't afford to let anyone else in the kingdom know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not at all inspired by the fact that Yosuke and Marth from Fire Emblem share the same English VA. This is also not inspired by Yu’s butler costumer in P4DAN. This is also not inspired by my Fire Emblem OTP.
> 
> (This is absolutely inspired by all those things.)
> 
> Here is the ficlet of Prince Yosuke and his personal retainer (and butler) Yu!  
> Enjoy!

Rumor had spread quickly about the loud screams coming from Prince Yosuke’s bedchamber deep within the castle. Although dawn had barely broken over the land, the servants were already in an uproar at the news. Before the king or queen even had a chance to catch wind of their precious heir possibly falling victim to danger within their own palace's walls, all the servants in the castle assigned to the prince's care immediately discarded their other chores and flocked to the young man's bedroom to check on him.

It wasn’t long before a small crowd was gathered outside the chamber. A gaggle of maids and butlers fluttered to the large oak door leading to the prince’s sleeping quarters and practically showered the large, oak door with thunderous knocks.

“Milord, are you okay?” one maid cried loudly as her balled fists nervously twisted the frilled edge of her apron.

“Someone said they heard you screaming in there, Prince Yosuke!” a butler admitted with a loud whimper. “Answer us, please!”

From beyond the heavy door, they could hear the faint and familiar voice of their kingdom’s prince.

 “Um…I’m fine!” Yosuke called shakily from within the bedchamber. His voice sounded even more flustered that the inquiring voices outside.

“Milord, someone said you were screaming,” one of the maid’s repeated. Her frazzled voice sounded only mildly calmed by hearing the prince's clear declaration from the other side of the door. “Are…you hurt?”

An unusual amount of silence followed her seemingly simple inquiry.

 “I was just taking a bath and slipped,” Yosuke called back. “Thankfully, Yu was here and he’s helping. I’m fine! I'm sorry if I caused you guys any trouble!”

The mere mention of Yu’s name seemed to send a wave of calmness over the rest of the servants. Yu was the kingdom’s most competent butler, as well as Prince’s Yosuke’s personal retainer. He was known for his unwavering professionalism and incredible capabilities. In addition to his sterling reputation, the young man was the prince’s most trusted confidant and ally. 

They two were so inseparable that there were even a few rumors that their relationship was something more intimate than what was allowed between master and servant.

At least the prince’s bath explained the reason for Yu’s attendance and why the door was locked.

After a little more persuading from the cheerful prince, the maids finally resigned that their concerns had prematurely festered. The servants moved away from the prince’s door in a gossipy cloud to return to the chores they’d abandoned so hastily.

On the other side of the door in the prince’s bedroom, different pieces and accessories of Yu’s uniform were strewn about the room, which forced him to remain partially huddled beneath the bedsheets.

Thank goodness they had remembered to lock the door before they’d disrobed and climbed into bed together to share a few blissful moments alone together in a romantic, pre-dawn coupling that was supposed to have remained a secret. If they'd been discovered, such an obvious breach of decorum would no doubt evolve into a scandal that spread across the kingdom like wildfire.

Thanks to his master’s very vocal displays of affection, the two had nearly been discovered in a compromising arrangement that neither of them would have been able to smother with a half-hearted excuse. At the first alert outside the prince's door, they’d quickly separated and hid under the covers until the crowd outside had completely vanished.

Once the voices faded, Yu finally allowed himself to release a nervous breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

As the rush of adrenaline faded, the tightening sensation in his balls also served as a painful painfully clear how close they been to release when they’d been so rudely interrupted.

 _"Lord Yosuke,”_ Yu chided, his silver eyes becoming a deeper shade of grey as his face darkened. “What did I tell you? We need to be more careful!”

“Sorry!” the prince replied, sticking his head of caramel-colored hair out from beneath the comforter. Pieces of his shaggy bedhead flew in every direction as he offered his butler a sheepish smile. “I…guess I just couldn’t help myself.”

Yu’s gaze softened. The borderline innocent sentiment gave him enough pause for his irritation to calm. Finally, he sighed and said, “My prince, it’s already risky for us to be together. Nobody can ever find out.”

“I know,” Yosuke whispered in return. His flustered embarrassment had given way to silent pain.

“I…I hate it just as much as you do,” Yu confessed. He leaned over the bed and place a kiss on the young man’s crown, smelling the scent of cologne that their dueling bodies had warmed thoroughly into their bedsheets.

Peeking out just beneath the warm edge of the velvet-patterned fabric were the prince’s bare shoulders. Beneath them, angular and dusted with freckles, was the rest of the prince’s bare body that Yu had seen, explored and kissed so much that he knew every plane of soft skin as if it was the back of his hand.

Love crept back into Yu’s expression as he reached over and yanked the blankets higher over Yosuke’s body. The room was cold, after all, and he didn’t want his beloved prince to catch a cold.

“Get dressed, my prince” Yu taunted with a smile as he slowly pulled back the covers and stepped out. The rigid arousal between his legs finally started to ebb as he felt the chilled air prickle his nude body. “It’s supposed to snow today. Dress warmly, and I’ll see that the fires around the castle are stoked. It's much too brisk in here.”

The sudden bout of work-related banter didn’t distract Yosuke for a second.

“Wait, you have to go?” he asked, suddenly pouting. “You just got here. Can’t you stay just for a few more minutes?”

“Sadly, I can’t,” Yu replied without turning his head. Although his tone was supposed to sound professional, his movements were too slow and remorseful to fool the prince. He watched mesmerized as the butler’s broad-shouldered frame was concealed with a fine, semi-transparent linen shirt. The wide, muscular expanse of his back that he adored so much was then concealed with a weighty, wool coat.

When Yu turned around again, he tugged lightly on the creases in his uniform to try than smooth some of the wrinkles that had formed from their duration of being crumpled on the bedchamber's floor.

Almost immediately, Yosuke’s bare hands were over his. When Yu tried to gently pull away to quell his own longing that was still smoldering deep within, Yosuke continued to hold in with insistence and clinginess that was distinctly and unmistakable royal in nature. Not that Yu minded.

“Can I see you tonight?” Yosuke asked softly as his hands continued to cling to the lapels of his charcoal grey uniform. Hope gleamed in the prince’s usually sunny expression, and the agony of their romance cut through Yu like a knife.

With soft movements, he pried the prince’s fingers off his uniform and squeezed them tenderly between his gloved hands. He then lifted the appendages to his lips, where his place a reverential kiss upon each knuckle.

“I shall return as soon as a can.”

Yosuke’s expression wasn’t the picture of joy that Yu always longed to see, but he didn’t look a little happier. It was a small consolation for having to rip himself away from his beloved prince to undergo another day of work.

Just before Yu finally gathered enough courage to turn away and head out the door before his heartstrings threatened to pull him back, Yosuke’s hand swept across his cheek and gently guided their gazes back to each other.

“Milord?” Yu asked, voice cracking as he stared at his prince’s handsome face so close to his own.

There was silence. Then came a soft whisper that nearly shattered Yu's already cracking heart.

“I love you, Yu,” the prince said, his tone almost pleading. “Even if you can’t return tonight…you know that you’re always welcome, right? You don’t need my permission to see me.”

Yu sighed dreamily and hauled the prince into another tight embrace. When Yosuke wrapped his arms around him again and began to place another series of soft kisses along his jawline, he feared that he’d be so entranced that he be tempted to keep the prince to himself for the rest of the morning. Then, the rest of the castle staff would really start asking questions.

“I love you as well,” he vowed in return, his voice turning husky as he whispered in his ear, _“Yosuke.”_

Hearing his butler abandon his formal title and annunciate his name with such evident pleasure was enough to make Yosuke groan again.

Just to get revenge for the shameless teasing, Yosuke decided to moan a pet name he happened to know the butler always lost control over.

“Please come back to bed with me,” he pleaded with a sultry gaze. “Just for a few more minutes. Please, _partner_.”

The one word made him snap. Yu seized his master’s wrists and pinned him back onto the bed. As their bodies folded over the already crumpled sheets, the fires in the rest of the castle were forgotten as Yu pushed the prince into the mattress and covered his prince’s mouth with his own.

Without hesitation, Yosuke threw back the covers to swallow his butler back into the cocoon of warmth they’d created.

Just for a few more minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! The multiple holidays this week condensed my workweek into about two days of nonstop writing/editing/publishing. 
> 
> I'm going to spend today and tomorrow catching up.  
> I hope you enjoyed this silly little AU prompt. Thank you all so much for reading. I love you all and I'm sending you all hugs and kisses.
> 
> See you soon!


	15. Day 15: Foreign

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke takes Yu on a date to a foreign film premiere in Okina City. The only caveat? The movie is a horror film.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Dude, I want to do it!”

Yu sighed deeply as he continued to study Yosuke’s expression. While his boyfriend’s enthusiasm was seemingly evident on the surface, Yu couldn’t help but feel his willingness was somewhat forced. He wasn’t sure what it was, but something about the slightly raised pitch of Yosuke’s voice or wideness of his eyes was just uncanny enough to trigger hesitation from the astute, silver-haired leader.

“To be honest, Yosuke, it really seems like you don’t want to do this,” Yu offered again. This time, his voice sounded slightly more strained.

“Don’t be silly, partner!” Yosuke responded a little too promptly.

Yu cocked a brow at the outburst while Yosuke scrambled to recover from his guilty display of hastiness.

“Yu, I really mean it,” Yosuke repeated, rephrasing his words into a sentence that was slightly more eloquent. “I already looked online at everything, and I know I can do this. I’m not going to cry or puke or anything. I swear! I brought a bag just in case, but I know I’ll be fine.”

Yu made a face that the flashing lights of the theater marquee hid just enough to render Yu’s heavy sarcasm almost undetectable. “Somehow, I’m even less convinced.”

The two were standing in front of a crowded movie theater in Okina City. Despite the below-freezing temperatures, throngs of people were still gathered outside and huddled together on the streets. The cold didn’t deter groups of teenagers and adults from enjoying the weekend early by getting out and enjoying time with friends. Yu and Yosuke were not an exception to the trend, but thankfully, they’d be starting off their evening in a slightly warmer movie theater.

The feature of the evening was a foreign film Yu had heard reviews about. It was an American psychological thriller that had just come overseas, and the plot centered around an evil novelist character that ended up being stalked by a housecat. The hook of the film, at least according to the trailers, was that the suspicious cat may or may not be a demon in disguise. The film appealed to both Yu’s sense of justice and love for cats. 

In passing, Yu had briefly mentioned to Yosuke that he thought seeing the film would be fun and, Yosuke being…well, _Yosuke_ , he’d immediately purchased two tickets to the premiere and told Yu they were going after they wrapped up their Friday classes.

While Yu was thankful and excited to spend the evening out with him, he also knew his boyfriend didn’t have the strongest disposition when it came to horror films.

The two had watched plenty of films on plenty of dates together. There had been plenty of times when Yosuke had opted for a slasher flick or something with a title that practically oozed with the promise of gore and blood. He always insisted he’d be fine, but as soon as the film got too intense, he always ended up huddling close to Yu. After they’d started officially dating, Yosuke had even crawled into his lap on a few occasions, practically cocooned in a blanket to protect him from the sights and sounds of the movie that blared on the television.

“You know that you can’t crawl into my lap in the theater,” Yu teased as they meandered toward the large glass entrance. Yosuke poked his tongue out at Yu before ducking inside and into the main lobby.

They walked past the overpriced snack vendors due to the fact that Yosuke was smuggling a large number of snacks at Junes, where he’d scored a major discount on a wider variety of treats anyway, inside his school bag. Thankfully, the two were able to get into the theater without one of the ushers asking to peek inside. Not that the other teenager, who probably hated their job and though the candy was hellishly overpriced, would rat on them anyway.

The movie theater wasn’t completely empty. There were a couple of occupied seats located near the front and center of the theater, but the back rows were completely vacant. The duo grabbed their seats in one of the more secluded rows just in time to see the previews come on.

They took their seats and Yosuke immediately passed his boyfriend an impressively large back of dark chocolate and sea salt caramels. Yu blinked in sincere amazement at Yosuke’s spot-on choice.

“Wow, I was just craving these,” Yu confessed as he accepted the large box. Yu tried to not keep the candy in the house too often because he didn’t trust himself to not devour a couple servings after perilous bouts through the TV World, but a movie was a special occasion where he felt it would be okay to indulge.  “Thanks, Yosuke. How did you…?”

Yosuke tossed Yu a confident grin. “I like to think I know my partner pretty well.”

Well, damn. Yu couldn’t argue with that logic.

“Fair enough,” he said. He smiled back and opened the noisy package before the theater got too quiet. “Just please tell me you brought some for yourself too so I’m not the only one gorging on sugar.”

At this, Yosuke laughed loudly enough to receive a curious glance from the other theatergoers. After an apologetic nod in the darkness, he nodded to Yu and pulled out another back of fruit-flavored gummies.

“Don’t worry, we’ll both be bouncing off the walls from sugar highs,” Yosuke with a merry flip of his hand. The result was him displaying the bag of candy like a game show host presenting a winning contestant with the evening’s prize.

Except, for Yu, the biggest prize wasn’t the film or the candy…but rather, the very sweet and very doting _person_ he was with.

“Good planning,” Yu replied with an appreciative smile. He then reached down to pat his boyfriend’s hand, which was resting between their two adjacent seats on the shared armrest. “Seriously, Yosuke. Thank you so much for everything.”

Even though Yosuke was the one who had purchased the tickets and supplied them with all the sugar they would need to survive the late-night screening, he still tried to avert the compliment with a light blush and an awkward scratch of his neck.

“Hey man, it’s no big deal,” he said, his raised elbow helping to conceal the giddiness on his face, but not enough for Yu to not make a note of it. It hadn’t taken long for Yu to realize that praise had a very positive effect on Yosuke, even if he was unwilling to accept it without a little convincing.

“Yes, it is,” Yu replied, not letting his boyfriend’s humbleness prevail. “I’m really happy to be out with you, and we wouldn’t be doing this if you hadn’t planned everything. Seriously, thank you so much, partner.”

Yosuke’s face was unreadable for a moment. Then, he grinned and returned the firm squeeze Yu had given his hand. He waster no time interlacing their fingers, creating a kindled warmth between their seated bodies. “…You’re more than welcome.”

The words were spoken somewhat shyly. Yu knew Yosuke wasn’t used to owning up for his more clever or thoughtful moments. The result was Yu making a constant effort to give back half of the love and appreciation Yosuke always gave him without a second thought. He was happy to do it, and the swell of pride that always bloomed on his boyfriend's face made each and every moment worth it at least a thousand times over. 

With the rest of the theater seemingly fading into the background, the two leaned closer until their lips were able to meet over their joined hands. When Yu felt his lips flatten against Yosuke’s and the soft heat that resulted from the brush, his fingers clenched onto his boyfriend’s hand. The movement was almost involuntary. It was as if he didn’t even have to think about their increasing closeness. The plane of Yosuke’s smooth mouth was hardly uncharted territory for him, but every time he was afforded the opportunity to explore, he always found such satisfaction and pleasure from even the simplest of touches.

Every kiss was like a sunrise. Familiar, comfortable and completely immersive. If they hadn’t been in a public movie theater, Yu wouldn’t have pulled away. Hell, he almost hadn’t anyway.

It took Yosuke a few moments to recover from their amorous smooch. He stared back at Yu with a dopey, lovesick expression as his thumb stroked the velvety flesh of his partner’s palm.

“ _Wow…_ ” Yosuke said breathlessly. He heard the strain in his voice and cleared his throat before continuing, “Damn, Yu. If bringing you some candy is all it takes to get such service, then I’m going to have to buy all the stock at Junes.”

Silver eyes sparked with adoration. “Sugar for sugar, huh? I think I can make an exception for you. I don’t want you overworking yourself even more.”

“I’d totally do it if you paid me in kisses,” Yosuke flirted back. The sudden bout of boldness surprised and aroused Yu quickly.

Yosuke continued, “I mean, I gotta keep you interested in me somehow.”

Yu didn’t miss a beat. “You already have me, Yosuke.”

A dangerous heat arced between them, and both felt it. It was as quick as a bolt of lightning and as fluid as a gust of wind.

If they kept going, they’d be too distracted by each other to pay attention to the movie. Once more, the theater wasn’t nearly empty enough for the duo to distract themselves with any other amorous activities.

They offered each other knowing glances and broke apart, for now.

All the while, their hands remained interlaced between their seats.

“…Well, anyway, I brought tons of candy, so please eat up,” Yosuke beckoned as he cautiously slipped his bad under the dubiously clean theater seat. He didn’t forget to also zip it up before nudging it back with his ankles to conceal it. “I didn’t bring any drinks though, because...”

“Because of your nervous bladder?” Yu finished.

_“Hey!”_

A series of shushes followed the shrill exclamation.

Meanwhile, Yu popped a chocolate in his mouth with a wink. The taste of the candy paled in comparison to the sweetness of Yosuke’s lips. “I _also_ like to think I know my partner pretty well.”

Yosuke elbowed Yu softly in the side. It was quite an impressive feat, considering they were still holding each other’s hands quite securely.

Before Yosuke could even manage a come-back, the booming previews ebbed to a dull roar as the rest of the lights in the theater began to dim down. It wasn’t long before the movie finally cued up. The upbeat, action-packed music that had played during the previews was traded-in for off-key piano music and the sound of screaming violin strings.

Unfortunately for Yosuke, the film wasted absolutely no time in becoming totally creepy. The dark shadows and unsettling facial expressions of the main character were uncomfortable enough to have everyone in the theater twisting in their seats. Yu managed to keep a straight face in the face of the movie's perils. The occasional jumpscare caused his shoulder to intermittently tense between scenes, but nothing more.

The cat’s bright yellow eyes caused both of them to lurch in their seats as memories of fighting armies of Shadows crashed violently through their brains. This time, they squeezed each other's hand as much as they could. Their knuckles turned white and their fingernails pinched their skin, but they both held strong.

They didn’t let go of each other for the entire film.

Yosuke, especially, didn’t dare move away from Yu as the dark ambiance of the movie began to enhance. The entire plot was a roller-coaster of emotions, and at least a dozen different subplots, all caused by the main character’s evil antics. The increasing tension of the film’s mood as it became darker and more dreadful was a surefire hint that the audience was nearing a bloody conclusion.

Finally, the climax of the movie came to a head when the cat finally attacked the antagonist and initiated a scene of gory horror. Claws and sharp teeth made simple work of the main character’s flesh, and the audience reeled in horror as the villain was shredded into a red pulp.

Yosuke closed his eyes at the squelching sound effects and bit into his lip to channel his fear. Even Yu, who quite fancied the cat as a character, found himself cringing. The temptation to look away from the oddly convincing special effects was too much, even for his steeled nerves and stomach.

By the time the movie ended, Yosuke had gone through the entire bag of gummy candies, which probably hadn’t helped relieving him of his fear-induced jitteriness. The teen had even pulled his legs up and into his seat, with his knees folded close to his chest and his free arm holding the pack of candy so close that it almost covered his face.

Everything, except the arm extended to hold Yu’s hand, was huddled close to his body to form a protective posture from the imaginary horrors they had played out before them moments ago.

The two were finally able to ease their tense bodies out of the safety of the seats as the credits began to roll down the screen. Yu offered to carry Yosuke’s bag and, still slightly shaken from the film, they both almost immediately turned to exit the theater with the rest of the equally-terrified audience in tow.

“So, what did you think?” Yu asked while they walked out. He wanted to tread lightly, just in case his partner was still as scared as he looked.

Yosuke leaned his head against Yosuke’s bicep at his only reply at first. “Dude, that was really freakin’ scary. Holy shit. I could barely keep my eyes open during some parts!”

Yu nodded in mutual agreement, thankful for how bright and crowded the main entrance was. “It was definitely pretty intense. I…hope I didn’t bruise your hand.”

The two both looked down to their joined hands, pale and clammy from straining during the entire two-hour film.

“Same to you,” Yosuke replied with a light laugh as he swung their hands playfully like a pendulum. “I’m okay though. There are plenty of worse things in life than holding hands with you for a few hours.”

Yu saw an opportunity and seized it. “Worse things like a cat clawing at—”

_“Don’t remind me!”_

The two shared a good laugh as they dumped their empty candy boxes into the nearest trash can. It turned out that both of them had gone through their entire bags of candy. Yu knew an insane sugar high was on its way, as was a full day of exercising to try and burn a sliver of the insane calorie-intake he'd likely just consumed.

“But, honestly, I also thought it was really good,” Yosuke added wistfully. “Man, those scary moments made me totally tense! But, actually, it wasn’t bad. I would have never watched it without you there, though.”

Yu felt his chest puff a bit at the comment.

“Yeah?” Yu asked, color slowly returning to his cheeks. “I thought it was pretty good too. I was actually more scared than I thought I’d be.”

Yosuke balked at the confession. “I took Yu Narukami, the coolest and most composed guy in Inaba, to a movie that actually _scared_ him?”

Yu tried to suppress a smile. “It’s more likely than you think.”

After taking as much time as they could making small talk in the lobby, they reluctantly inched their way back outside into the darkness of the night as the marquees began to filter people outside out of a desire to close down the theater and head home for the evening.

“Hey, Yu…” Yosuke said as they stepped out onto the mostly dark street. It was late at night and, while the street was hardly abandoned, there were definitely more gaps in the foot traffic than there were during the daytime hours. The juxtaposition was enough to make Yosuke swallow loudly.

“Yeah?” he replied, his body unusually stiff thanks to a small amount of paranoia.

“We’re...going to walk to the station _together_ , right?” Yosuke asked, his topaz eyes shifting from vacant alleyway to alleyway. He searched the darkness for any bright yellow orbs that may have been shining at them without their knowledge.

The sound of a cat meowing from an apartment windowsill overheard was enough to make both of them jump in surprise. After recovering from the effective sneak attack, Yu gave Yosuke an affirmative nod. “Yes, of course.”

Thankfully, their hands were still connected from holding onto each other in the theater. They maintained a solid grip huddled together against the darkness and chill of the mid-autumn evening.

The two then started to walk toward the train station at a brusque pace. Along the way, they also made sure to stick to a path that was beneath as many streetlights as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a quick Google search of 'evil cat movies' and...there are a lot of them. More than I even knew! Wow. You learn something new every day, huh?
> 
> Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading! I know this isn't the spiciest (heh) or the longest (heh heh) chapter I've done, but I sincerely hope it was at least an enjoyable read.  
> I love you all, and as always, I'm sending hugs and kisses.
> 
> Bye for now!


	16. Day 16: Inaba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke finally travel back to Inaba. This time, instead of solving the case, they're getting married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [I will post a more complete version of this in the future, including a proposal scene and a step-by-step chronicle of the wedding. This is more of a proof-of-concept to satisfy the prompt. Enjoy!]

Two city boys never thought they would be getting married in the small, countryside town of Inaba.

Yet, both felt like it was the most appropriate place to tie the knot. Inaba might have been small compared to cities like Tokyo or Shibuya, but it was perfect for them. There were so many memories embedded in practically every inch of the town. Every nook and cranny of Inaba was special to Yu and Yosuke. There wasn’t a single destination that didn’t hold memories from their old days as the Investigation Team. The restaurants and shops contained good memories of food and friends. The old television antennas around the city brought up bad memories of loss and loneliness.

However, it was the city where they’d first met. It was the place where they’d saved the world from imminent destruction.

It was the city where they’d fallen in love.

Even though they’d gone to college in Tokyo and had their first kiss in their apartment, the couple always thought of Inaba as the true birthplace of their impenetrable bond.

There was no other place where they’d rather get married.

When Yu and Yosuke had first announced their engagement, the response from the rest of the Investigation Team was universal:

_“Leave it to us!”_

While Yu and Yosuke worked things out and handled various tasks on their end in Tokyo, those remaining in Inaba got right to work on some early preparations.

Yukiko worked with her family to reserve almost the entire Amagi Inn and hot springs for the reception and after-party. While Yu insisted multiple times that it wasn’t necessary, she also reserved a room for the happy couple as well accommodations for any other guests that would need to sleep off their adrenaline and booze following the celebration

Although she told Yu it would be easy to reserve a few extra rooms in case he had guests that would be coming into the city from out of town, Yu politely told his friend that wasn’t the case. He already knew his parents were too busy to attend the informal, countryside engagement.

While Chie was undergoing a stringent training schedule to prepare her for her career in law enforcement, she worked nights at the Amagi Inn helping Yukiko prepare the rooms and assist with orders. The two worked long hours to make the venue as perfect as possible. The two also swore their efforts to secrecy, knowing full-well Yu and Yosuke would have been horrified to find out how much sleep they’d missed for them.

Rise devoted plenty of resources to the collective endeavor. Thanks to her countless gigs and plentiful sponsorships, she was able to use her business-sense and skills as a charismatic idol to make sure her beloved  _senpais_ had the best food, flowers, and everything else in-between.

Teddie, Naoto and Kanji met up to decorate the inn. While Naoto’s reputation as one of the best detective in the region was growing day by day, she didn’t let her notoriety stop her from returning to Inaba to assist with preparations for two of her best friends’ wedding. Teddie was also more than willing to offer a helping hand. While they both helped allocate resources and decide where the best places to purchase materials would be, Kanji served as the main interior decorator on the job. Under his careful watch, there wasn’t an untied balloon or a loose tablecloth in sight. He wasn’t about to let any imperfections tarnish the couple's special day together.

By the time Yu and Yosuke arrived back in Inaba a few days before the scheduled ceremony, they were shocked beyond words to find that everything else they’d previously added to their to-do list was already accomplished.

The sight of all their friends waiting to surprise them at the train station rendered both of them speechless. Then, upon being escorted to the Amagi Inn to glimpse the decorations for the first time, the group joined in a massive group hug that resulted in more than few cramps and even more joyful tears.

As predicted, the two were incredibly thankful for their friends' assistance and participation. Even though the set-up had taken the groups weeks to prepare in advance, the whole affair was much more informal than some other wedding ceremonies. That was something the team knew Yu and Yosuke absolutely wanted. 

Yosuke’s parents obviously attended, but Yu’s were nowhere to be found. They had told their son they couldn’t get back from their business trip soon enough to attend the event, but they promised to send some presents from the couple's gift registry. Yu was hardly broken up about their lack of attendance, having grown quite used to it. Instead, Dojima and Nanako willingly attended the small outdoor event. Nanako dressed in her best outfit and, possibly for the first time in his entire career, Dojima explicitly requested an entire weekday off and even left his cell phone back at the house.

He wasn’t about to let any task pull him away from nephew’s wedding. To him, it almost felt as if his own son was getting married…but he’d never have the gall to say such a presumptuous thing out loud.

As usual, Yu was the one to take initiative.

“Uncle, thank you so much,” Yu repeated to his uncle over and over before the ceremony. “I know you're busy, but I’m so happy you and Nanako are here. It wouldn’t have felt right if _you two_  hadn’t have been able to make it.”

The emphasis in his remark also didn’t go unnoticed by the keen-minded investigator.

“Why are you thanking me?” he asked with a laugh as he bent down to straighten Yu’s tie. The tiny, awkward angle was driving him crazy for some reason. “Come on. After everything you did for me when you first moved here, I don’t think taking one day to attend your wedding counts as enough payback. I certainly haven’t earned any ‘thanks.’”

Yu’s gaze remained firm as the older man pulled the satin taut, but not too tight, around the proud column of his neck. Yu murmured yet another ‘thank you’ under his breath, which earned him a soft punch to the shoulder.

When he took a step back to admire his handsome nephew, his tired eyes enlarged at the sight. His visage was a picture of such astonishment that Yu actually checked over his shoulder to see if something strange had appeared behind them.

When he looked back and saw nothing, Yu swiveled his eyes back to his uncle’s. Self-doubt began to set in.

“Um, what?” Yu asked, suddenly self-conscious under the usually direct gaze of his uncle. His hands fussed about his light grey suit and hair, which was gelled back to remain out of his eyes for the ceremony.

“Nothing…” Dojima said, shaking his head with a sigh before he looked up again. “You just look...very grown-up, Yu.”

Yu inhaled sharply. His lips parted and his eyes glistened at the comment. If it hadn’t been for the promise he’d made to himself to keep all his tears reserved for his wedding vows, Yu would have teared up at the sentiment.  

As if Dojima’s comment hadn’t been enough strain on Yu’s heartstrings, the sound of Nanako’s voice nearby certainly didn’t help. The girl ran up to her father and cousin dressed in a taffeta dress that was a bright shade of bubblegum pink. As she bobbed toward them, Yu had to purse his lips in an attempt to not get overly emotional.

“Hey, Nanako,” he said fondly. He reached down to tug the finely-tailored fabric around his knees upright so he could bend down comfortably to meet her. “Well, well. You look very pretty.”

“Hehe, thank you!” she said, blushing at the comment. Her hands flew to the hem of her dress as she did a flamboyant twirl. Both men clapped at the adorable sight.

She suddenly stopped her performance and assumed a more professional stance. “Hey, big bro? The ceremony is gonna start soon! They told me to come and get you so you can get ready to, um…walk down the aisle and stuff!”

It sounded like either Yukiko or Naoto had sent the young girl to fetch him. With a deep breath, Yu nodded. While he was eye-level with Nanako, the girl broke out into a wide grin and leaned over to tug on her father’s sleeve.

When Dojima complied and curiously leaned down at his daughter’s command, she outstretched her arms and pulled both of them into an embrace.

“Family group hug!” Nanako sang merrily, burying her face between her beloved dad and her favorite big brother. “Good luck out there, big bro! You and Yosuke are gonna do great!”

Her words were the last straw that made Yu break the promise he’d made to himself.

* * *

The music began to swell as guests were urged to take their seats in the outdoor garden area beside the inn. The ample vegetation and traditional back-drop of Inaba’s oldest institution made for a picturesque sight that inspired a sense of formality in even the most light-hearted guests. Even Teddie, who had been dancing about and flirting with every female guest, immediately softened his voice and assumed his appropriate position in the ceremony.

All the guests, including the members of the Investigation Team, buzzed to their seats while the procession commenced with the traditional formalities before introducing the engaged couple.

During the announcements, Yosuke and his parents lingered in the staging area. The group talked and gushed while waiting for their cue which, for Yosuke, couldn’t come soon enough. He legitimately couldn’t wait to finally see his partner again. Only, this time, they’d be life partners bonded by matrimonial law. The mere thought of it was making him tremble in anticipation.

He was so excited that, even with his sharp crisp suit and more matured features since his days as a student in the town, he looked like an excited teenager as he waited with bated breath to enter the ceremony.

“Do you have your vows memorized?” Yosuke’s father asked for what must have been the hundredth time. 

Yosuke chuckled deeply at the question as he made one last adjustment to the corsage that was pinned over his thudding heart.

“I just practiced them a second ago,” he replied for the hundredth time. He tossed his father a smile to let him know he was truly appreciative of his doting inquiries, even if he sounded slightly exasperated. Truthfully, anxiety was sizzling inside his heart alongside all the other emotions that were crashing through him. It was his wedding day, after all. Such internal turbulence was hardly abnormal.

“Keep the paper in your pants pocket, not your breast pocket!” his father insisted again, not dissuaded by his son’s display of confidence. “You might know your vows now, but it's a whole different story when you're actually standing at the altar and have to say them out loud. Trust me, son. It sounds silly, but when you’re up at that altar and you’re staring at the person you love, it's like the world goes blank. It's better to be safe than sorry, just in case you get, um... _distracted_."

“Dad, please,” Yosuke laughed, rolling his eyes. The teasing was not doing anything to quell his already frayed nerves. Desperate for an outlet, he began to tap his foot in an erratic rhythm against the history-worn floor.

“I know _I’d_ forget my vows if I were you,” Yosuke’s mother confessed with a laugh. “Yu is certainly handsome enough to be distracting! I don’t know how you ever got any studying done with him around.”

_“Mom, please.”_

The Hanamuras shared a good laugh as their son helplessly looked between them. Part of him wondered what insane part of him had thought it would be a good idea to keep his parents backstage with him at the wedding. He guessed, most likely, it had been the part that had been insanely sleep-deprived the night before when he'd stayed up with Yu to tie up the rest of the loose ends.

“My goodness, you look so mature,” Yosuke’s mother warbled. She lifted a tissue to her eyes and tried to blot away the tears before they broke down her mascara into a smeary disaster. “My baby is so grown up! I never thought I’d see the day!”

Yosuke heaved an over-dramatic sigh as he continued to attentively listen to the faint drum of music from outside. He wanted to make sure he heard the moment when he was supposed to officially step out into the ceremony. “That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

The playful jab from his father didn’t go completely unignored by Yosuke. He had, as a matter of fact, tucked the paper safely into his trouser pocket. It never hurt to be safe.

Just then, an orchestral crescendo reverberated through the building. The sound elicited a nervous shudder out of Yosuke. It was finally time.

“Ready?” Yosuke’s father asked as he lent his son an elbow.

In response, Yosuke could only draw a shay breath between his teeth. “Ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s go.”

Yosuke’s mother blotted her tears one last time before shoving the wad of issues into her coat pocket and taking her son's other arm. Together, the three of them walked out the inn's doors and into the ceremony. 

Upon stepping outside and into the sunlit day, Yosuke could have noticed a multitude of things. He could have noted the cloudless sky or focused on the balmy breeze that carried the thick perfume of the ceremony's hyacinth bouquets across the lawn. With dozens of pairs of eyes on him and his parents, he could have returned a number of the stares with a couple thankful nods or knowing smiles. The impressive scene before him would have pulled anyone's attention in a thousand different ways a second.

However, the moment he stepped out into the aisle, Yosuke could only focus on one thing.

_One person._

Yu Narukami stood a few paces away from him, his trim body dressed in layers of grey and white. The ensemble contrasted only slightly to Yosuke's navy suit and orange tie, which brought out the warm tones in his eyes. Unlike him, Yu's silver hair was swept back and out of his eyes, allowing Yosuke to gaze upon his gently blushing face from across the aisle without any difficulty. 

Yosuke's long legs moved in a confident stride to meet his fiance as soon as possible. Yosuke's parents almost had to jog to keep up with their eager son before finally releasing him toward to join his husband-to-be at the center of the procession.

Their gloved hands molded together with the instant Yu reached for him.

 _"You look amazing, partner,"_ Yu mouthed as he took Yosuke's hand into his, bringing their bodies mere inches apart from each other's. The closer he got, Yosuke was able to see what appeared to be traces of tears in his partner's eyes. The tiny beads of moisture lingered on his lower lashes, and the realization made Yosuke's heart practically explode in his chest. His mind went blank and, after a few moments of stunned silence and vacant-minded staring, Yosuke was already incredibly thankful for his father's advice. 

Years ago, powerful entities lurking within the town of Inaba had chosen Yu and his confidants to save the world and rewrite the tragic fate of humanity. Their battles had tested their physical and mental strength. There were many moments where their journey had almost ended prematurely multiple times from injury death, but in the end, they'd fought a powerful goddess and had prevailed.

The city of Inaba was where Yu and Yosuke had begun their life as partners and lovers. Then, after the end of their arduous journey, Yu and Yosuke were the ones to choose Inaba as the place where they finally began their life as husbands.

 


	17. Day 17: PDA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke steal a few moments in a backroom at a nostalgic Junes department store in Tokyo. [This chapter contains NSFW content.]

Public displays of affection were usually a no-no for both Yu and Yosuke.

The two were too formal and finicky, respectively, to feel comfortable enough to enjoy any prolonged displays of affection in public. They shared simple things like quick hugs or chaste kisses when they had to depart from a shared lunch or break to return to work. Sometimes those innocent touches lasted a little longer, like when one had to do something particularly stressful. Examples included Yosuke leaving for an all-night work shift or Yu departing for an evening to spend an awkward evening with his parents.

Even so, the public displays of affection they initiated in were completely temperate compared to their antics behind closed doors or within the confines of their bedroom.

They also knew it was dangerous for them to be too affectionate in public places because the two desired each other so much that it would be difficult to calm the adrenaline rush. Once sparks leaped between them, passionate flames were unavoidable. They didn’t want to stir the pot, metaphorically.

However, sometimes if the pot wasn’t stirred for long enough, things boiled over.

Sometimes, it was as easy as an extra brush of the hand or a kiss that lingered in just the right spot for a little too long.

When their eyes met and they could see the passion smoldering beneath the surface, they complied immediately to help tame the scalding flames that threatened to painfully smolder within.

Even if that meant occasionally having sex in public.

* * *

Yosuke’s shoulders collided with the coarse texture of the alcove wall as his and Yu’s met over and over again. Their jaws slid together frantically as their tongues rolled into each other’s mouths and their lips trembled at the strain. When Yosuke’s teeth bit into Yu’s bottom lip, the blend of pleasure and light pain tore a wet moan from his throat.

As their lips met in frenzied passion, their hips also bucked in sync with their desperate movements. It wasn’t long before Yu’s hand reached between their grounding bodies to dip beneath the waistband of Yosuke’s jeans. When his fingers snapped the button, Yosuke let out a soft plea.

“Yu, _please_ …” he moaned as he arched his hips higher and harder against his boyfriend’s crotch, which was also as tented and needy as his own stiffening, hungry arousal.

* * *

 The day had started off innocently enough. The two had met up to do some grocery shopping in a Junes department store in Tokyo. It was a Friday evening and the two met up after work to pick out ingredients for the evening’s dinner.

Once there, Yosuke was immediately overwhelmed with nostalgia for the old location. He remembered touring the store a lot as a kid. While he father worked, he roamed the massive and mostly abandoned halls of the department store after-hours.

When Yu stepped into a more desolate area of the store to pick out some of the more niche ingredients on their shopping list, Yosuke gave his arm a soft tug and asked, “Hey. Wanna see something cool, partner?”

Of course, Yu immediately abandoned his shopping basket in a vacant shelf space and obliged. Curiosity claimed his interest quicker than a cat’s.

After checking to make sure they two were alone, Yosuke took Yu’s hand and guided him through the back aisles until they came across a large door against a back wall that was marked ‘Employees Only.’ After pressing a few numbers on the keypad, the lock on the door clicked open. With a triumphant laugh, Yosuke opened the door and pulled Yu along after him.

Yu blinked in confusion as they bodies continued down the bland corridor. The only decorations to be seen were the occasional cluttered corkboard and a couple haphazardly overstuffed waste bins. they also passed a staff-only restroom that looked impeccable clean, but also mostly vacant. It was hardly an appealing area.

Yu asked in a hushed voice, “What are we doing?”

“I want to show you something!” Yosuke said happily as he looked around the familiar halls. His head couldn’t turn fast enough to take everything in around him. “You see, I used to come here all the time when I was a kid.”

Ah, that explained it.

Yu now knew why it had been so easy for him to unlock the back door, and why his boyfriend’s face, which had matured slightly since their high school days, was suddenly filled with childlike wonder. The wave of nostalgia must have been tremendous, Yu thought.

The background music began to grow softer as they weaved their way through the twisting back hallways of the store. The lights dimmed slightly and, had it not been for Yosuke’s presence and the clear delight in his eyes, Yu would have been much more on edge.

“Dude, everything still looks exactly the same,” Yosuke told him excitedly, looking over his shoulder with a bright smile that threatened to steal Yu’s breath away. “I mean, damn, even the floors and furniture are the same!”

Glancing around at the 1980s décor and yellowing eggshell paint, Yu could definitely believe that.

After a few more turns through the vacant halls, the two arrived at another door tucked in a back corner. This time, the door didn’t have a keypad. Instead, it was already ajar. Yosuke opened the door cautiously and checked for any lingering employees before gesturing Yu to follow him inside.

“Wait, why are we going in here?” Yu asked, frantically turning his back and forth to see if there were any employees or security cameras that could focus in on them. Even though Yosuke’s father had connections and he’d remembered the combination lock to the door from when he’d explored the halls as a kid, they would most definitely get in trouble if they were spotted.

Yosuke wasn’t a kid anymore, and neither was he. Hell, they weren’t even rowdy teenagers. They were two _adults_ trespassing in the back area of a huge department store. While it wasn’t the most serious offense in the world, and he and Yosuke had unfortunately already had experiences with being into custody for weapon-related shenanigans in the Junes food court, it would hardly be an ideal situation if they were spotted.

However, the prospect of venturing somewhere forbidden with his boyfriend was a little… _exciting_ , to say the least.

As Yu ducked inside the room so Yosuke could lock the door behind them, just in case any employees decided to peek inside.

After his eyes adjusted a bit to the lack of fluorescent lighting in the sim space, they immediately snapped opened again in astonishment once he caught sight of what was within.

Before him was what looked like an old meeting room. The plain space was decorated only with a large table that was surrounded by plush leather chairs. A cloudy whiteboard was fastened to one of the nearby walls, the scribblings from the last meeting still somewhat visible on the worn-down surface. However, it wasn’t the décor or the whiteboard that really caught Yu’s attention.

Upon entering the room, his silver eyes lit up at the sight of a large, panoramic window directly across from the door. The window served as a frame for the buzzing Tokyo skyline, which was lit up like a sea of luminescent stars. The sky glowed warm shades of orange and pink while the city’s outline below glittered like opal against the rising moonlight.

“Wow,” Yu gasped as he inched closer to the window. “That’s….one hell of a view.”

“Ain’t it, though?” Yosuke asked with a confident nod. “Man, I remember coming here all the time. I’d be so bored during meetings and stuff when my dad needed to work, but when I could, I’d sneak in here to play. One day I saw this view and…loved it. I remember that this used to be one of my favorite spots.”

The innocence of the statement rendered Yu even more speechless. The idea of his boyfriend zooming through the halls of a department store, sneaking through rooms and learning building codes just to amuse himself was incredibly endearing. It was proof that Yosuke was far more diligent than many people gave him credit for.

“I wanted you to see it,” Yosuke added after a few seconds. “Honestly, it kind of reminds me of when we met up at the overlook in Inaba. I told you how special you were to me…and I was so embarrassed, I started trying to find our houses!”

Yu remembered vividly. He’d been so certain Yosuke was going to confess to him, but when their conversation seemingly stopped short, he’d felt his heart sink with disappointment.

Yosuke continued fondly as his fingertips caress the glass window pane, “Man, we’d be here all day if we tried to do that now. Then again, I…don’t think I’d mind that. Being alone with you.”

When he turned back to Yosuke to comment, the way lights coasted along his cheekbones and the highpoints of his face, like the center of his forehead and the bridge of his slightly upturned nose. Yosuke had always been a “pretty-boy” in Yu’s head, and the way students at Yasogami High always called him a “prince” had essentially cemented the idea into his head long before the two had started dating.

However, at that moment under the light, Yosuke looked absolutely radiant.

Yu felt his cheeks warm as he remembered Yosuke’s soft-spoken comment from moments before.

_“Then again, I…don’t think I’d mind that. Being alone with you.”_

“Hey, you locked the door, right?” Yu suddenly asked, eyes half-lidded and dark as he turned to catch another glance at how the sunset’s rays danced off his partner’s features.

The breathiness in his voice must have been noticeable because Yosuke’s shoulders lifted slightly before he dared to steal a glance back at Yu. When he did, Yu could feel his partner’s hand twitch against his own. Their grip tightened and, with a squeeze, a silent ‘Yeah’ fell from Yosuke’s lips.

“So, we’re alone, right?”

At this, Yosuke nodded slowly. “Yeah…we’re alone.”

After another longing stare, both quickly leaned into each other in mutual attempts to pull the other into a heated kiss, with the shining Tokyo cityscape serving as the only witness to their coupling.

Thanks to his slightly bulkier frame, Yu wasted no time pushing his partner against the meeting room wall, pinning him firmly with his hands. Yosuke went willingly with Yu and reciprocated the passion by fusing their mouths hungrily.

Before Yosuke could completely wrap his head around the scandalous situation, Yu’s hand was already wandering below his beltline, where a very district bulge of arousal was already taking shape. With just the single brush of Yu’s fingertips, Yosuke felt as if his nerves were singed from heat. He gasped when Yu unzipped the band and gripped his cock, which sprung forth from the lip of his pants with unashamed eagerness.

Yu smiled against their kiss as he felt Yosuke’s quivering hands also travel to the fly of his jeans. His own arousal filled the crotch of his pants so much that the zipper stuck for a few seconds. Once it did give, Yu’s hard cock rose between their grinding bodies.

“Partner…” Yosuke sighed, chuckling at the tickling sensation when Yu moved away from his lips and began placing kissed down his partner’s slightly prickled jawline.

When Yu’s hand moved under Yosuke’s t-shirt to lift the fabric up and expose his stomach, his breathing seized in anticipation of what was to come. Sure enough, the chill his felt on his bare abdomen was soon shooed away by Yu’s bare stomach, finely muscled from years of combat, pressed against his.

Then, his free hand grabbed both of their hard, pulsing erections and ground them together with a soft but intentional nudge. The effect was instant as Yosuke began to mumbled Yu’s name over and over.

“Isn't it exciting, Yosuke?” Yu purred against Yosuke’s ear as his hand molded their cocks even together. His thumb continued to knead the swollen heads as he whispered, “Anyone could walk by and find us, right?”

“I know…” Yosuke moaned, head falling back slightly as his eyes closed from the numbing waves of pleasure that were starting to coast over him. The blissful look on his face, so entrenched in arousal, made Yu’s voice grumble with desire as he continued to move their erections together.

Yu smirked against the warm flesh of Yosuke’s collarbone, placing a hard kiss on the frantic pulse he could feel rushing just beneath the bare skin. “We don’t have much time.”

Yosuke bucked his hips at the suggestive sentence. A sense of frantic urgency filled his hungry eyes and he looked back at his partner. “Yu, please…”

His pleading down sent an intense jab of arousal rocketing between Yu’s legs. As his knees wobbled, he continued to brace himself against his partner as their hips ground against each other, seeking pleasure and slick, wet heat.

“Yosuke…!” Yu gasped, biting his lip as his fist tightened and he continued to force their cocks harder and faster against each other. Heated friction was slowly becoming liquid pleasure as he felt his balls begin to tighten and a small drop of molten precum drip onto his hand where he was keeping their cocks tightly sheathed together. He quickly used the liquid to lubricate their joined bodies. The effect was instantaneous. Yosuke let out a delicious moan Yu longed to drink in.

“ _Partner_ …” Yu begged, gritting his teeth and a second heartbeat started to pulse between his legs at a quickly hastening pace. “Move with me.”

“Y-Yes…!” Yosuke gasped mercifully, lifting his hips higher with each word.

Just like usual, Yu started off a brisk rhythm of pumping that was only aided Yosuke’s desire for speed. While Yu increased the pressure and force behind their stroked, Yosuke raised the pace to make sure each thrust was as searing as the last. It wasn’t long before their bodies were moving in-sync, their breathing frantic as they leaned and pushed against each other bodies to feel _more, harder, faster._

“Holy shit, Yu…” Yosuke moaned, one hand flattening against the wall as his other hand snaked up into Yu’s hair. His fingers formed a fist around a thatch of silver locks. When a particularly blissful jab made him tug slightly, Yu purred with delight and punctuated the desire with another hard thrust against Yosuke’s already weeping arousal.

It was unfortunate that they weren’t more prepared. If they had been, no doubt they could have taken advantage of the situation much more.

Specifically, Yu eyed the conference table in the center of the room.

If they’d been more prepared for their romantic rendezvous, Yu would have bent Yosuke over the table in a heartbeat. He thought shamelessly about seeing his partner’s perfect ass lifted high in the air as he plowed into him from behind. Yu pictured how absolutely hot his partner would look completely exposed to the open, city skyline as Yu bottomed out inside him and took him over and over again with thrusts so hard and deep they’d make the table creak precariously beneath them. All the while, Yosuke would scream for him and how much he wanted him.

With Yosuke’s frantic gasps and pleas urging him to keep moving, Yu’s mind continued to soar. He also thought about Yosuke pulling him into one of the office chairs and onto his lap, where he would spread his legs as wide as he could and ride Yosuke’s large cock while looking down at his partner’s flushed face. They would kiss frantically and beg each other for release, only to linger on the edge while the other cruelly brought them back down to enjoy the torturous repetition of another unfulfilled climax.

The scandalous visions that flooded his head only spurred Yu’s arousal on harder and faster. It wasn’t long before he was grunting with exertion as he bucked his own hips harder and faster into his hand.

The sound of a distant voice over the PA system was the last thrill Yosuke needed to send him over the edge.

“Oh, shit…!” Yosuke suddenly cried as his body tensed. One of his legs bent at the knee so he could prop his heel against the back wall, hoisting him higher and harder unto Yu’s tightening fist. He could hear his blood roar in his ears as the cords in his back and bum snapped tautly and forced his body into a stunning rigidity that made him cry out. His hand, which had been buried in Yu’s silver tresses, tightened from the pleasurable strain.

The swift tug on Yu’s hair ripped a ragged cry from his throat as his own orgasm followed shortly after Yosuke’s. With only Yu’s hand to catch the release from both their cocks, he did the best his could while letting the remaining fluid spatter across their stomachs. As long as their clothes stayed clean and unstained, they would be able to manage. It also helped that both of them had their jackets to fend off the autumnal chill outside. They could easily zip them up for extra coverage.

Yu buried his face in Yosuke’s shoulder to muffle his hoarse cries as his stiff body twitched and convulsed in abandon. Meanwhile, Yosuke’s chest arched high as their bodies flattened together as they screwed their eyes shut. The couple pressed into each other until only their flushed and sweat-prickled skin divided them.

As the pleasure ebbed and reality began to restore itself around them, the two leaned against each other in an exhausted heap. Yu’s legs wobbled, he ultimately leaned against Yosuke for support. He kept his face buried against the soft material of Yosuke’s top and bare skin.

They took a few moments for them to catch their breath as their weak bodies slid down the wall and onto the floor.

“That…really was a _nice view_ ,” Yu said with a weak laugh. He lifted his face to meet Yosuke’s, sweat plastering his bangs to his forehead. “You’re right. I did enjoy that.”

“You little…” Yosuke replied, a wide grin splitting his exhausted face as he arms finally went lax around Yu’s torso. “Well, that settles it. Now I have to bring you back again so we can actually look at the sunset.”

Right, the sunset, Yu thought to himself with a half-smile. He leaned back on his heels to offer Yosuke his clean hand. “I’ll look forward to it.”

They used one of the staff bathrooms they’d passed earlier to their advantage. Yosuke brought back a few paper towels to clean Yu’s hands. After wiping down the most obvious evidence of their mating, they both made their way to the small bathroom to wash themselves up before cautiously exiting the back hallway. By the time they’d crept out into the store, the late-night rush of after-dinner grocery runners was starting to cue up.

By some miracle, Yu’s basket was still right where he’d left it on the shelf. It was still completely full of the ingredients they’d already gathered about half an hour before their adventure.

As soon as they returned to the regularly trafficked aisles without detection, both heaved sighs of relief before turning and meeting each other’s gazes. Without prompting, they both grinned at each other and rejoined their hands.

“We should go shopping together more often,” Yu said with a grin as he wove his arm under the wire handles and hoisted the basket off the shelf.

Yosuke rubbed his nose in an attempt to appear indifferent, but the action failed to hide the dopey grin on his face. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t think we need to go shopping to do what we… _just did_ , but hey, whatever turns you on.”

The casual tone didn’t fool Yu. He turned up his head playfully and strolled toward the resister with a prideful stride.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I certainly worked up an appetite,” Yu confessed with an impish grin. “I say we head home and enjoy the rest of our evening together.”

The blush that had been confined to Yosuke’s face spread to the rest of his body like wildfire. However, the flush of embarrassment didn’t prevent him from stealing one last kiss before they arrived at the register.

“I’ll try to stay awake,” Yosuke whispered with a little lilt in his voice. “After all, it’s never too late for payback, yeah?”

As the cashier rang up the items and began to tally the cost of their purchase, the amount went completely unnoticed by Yu as he handed the cashier his card. He had a warm feeling that the two would be enjoying a later dinner than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I explored a dead mall this weekend, so yeah. That’s where the inspo came from, haha!
> 
> I definitely indulged with the concept of a semi-desolate Junes department store in Tokyo. As a city kid with a soft side for mallsoft aesthetics, there is nothing I love more than being somewhere after hours (like a dated department store), hearing the soft and somewhat-dated PA system drone generic elevator music and seeing how the neon light creates shapes in the dark corridors.
> 
> …Anyway, aside from my aesthetic tangent, I hope you all enjoyed this fic! I’m still catching up on prompts, so bear with me.  
> Thanks again for reading! As always, I’m sending hugs and kisses galore.


	18. Day 18: Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu isn't used to celebrating birthdays. At least, not before he makes his fateful move to Inaba.

Yu Narukami always viewed birthday celebrations as luxurious occasions that were out of his reach.

That wasn’t to say Yu was without any comfort or privilege in his life. Quite the opposite, actually. His parents’ busy work schedules allowed him and his family to live in a moderately-safe, medium-sized apartment in Tokyo. Rent wasn’t cheap, but there was always food available, and basic heating and cooling functions also worked. All the bills were paid on time each month, and Yu didn’t have to worry about forgoing his studies to get a job to help provide to the family’s income.

He had everything he needed and was completely thankful what he had. As a result, when his parents began working overtime on his birthday early in his childhood, he didn’t complain. After all, they’d already provided for him plentifully with food, shelter and other necessities. To ask for anything more seemed too selfish. Just the thought of asking his parents to stay home or celebrate with him made him feel guilty to the point of depression.

Instead of causing his parents grief and himself any more pain, he resolved to simply push his feelings deep inside and block them out.

So, for almost two decades, Yu Narukami simply forgot about his birthday. It wasn’t a special occasion for him, so he put it out of his mind completely. That way, being alone would possibly become easier over time.

That was before he arrived in the sleepy town of Inaba.

* * *

“Big bro, is your birthday coming up?” Nanako asked innocently one evening as Yu set the table for dinner.

The teen cast his cousin a bewildered look as he placed homemade omelets on the table along with utensils and condiments. Since Dojima was spending another long evening at the office, Yu had asked Nanako to choose what he made for dinner.

“Hm?” he hummed, tilting his head as he sank into the floor and nudged his knees under the warmth of the kotatsu. Nanako took a seat across from him after turning down the volume on the television. The bubbly conversation of the newscasters turned to indistinct warbling in the background as Yu fumbled around his brain clumsily to provide his cousin an answer.

“Um…yeah, I guess,” he finally admitted. His grin was sheepish as he slid her plate of food across the table.

“You guess?” she asked, looking incredulous at his indifference. “Why aren’t you more excited? Big bro…do you not like your birthday?”

As expected from the daughter of a detective, Yu though fondly.

“It’s not that,” he said simply as he broke apart his chopsticks. Of course, the break was perfectly symmetrical. He dipped his head to tousle the rice and egg mixture a bit. “Why do you ask?”

“I heard daddy talking about it earlier,” she told Yu honestly. When he cocked his head in confusion at the statement, she explained further by saying, “I think he called and asked your mom and dad about it.”

Unsure of what to make of the development, Yu kept pulling at the end of his omelet with his chopsticks. “Really? He…called them?”

When she nodded, the little flick of hope Yu felt in his chest was quickly snuffed. A familiar feeling of apathy crept back into his body.

Don’t get your hopes up, Yu reminded himself.

It was probably nothing. After all, why would his uncle care about something so minuet compared to the crippling stress of his job? It just didn’t seem possible.

“Do you not like your birthday?” she asked curiously. She spoke slowly, like every word was sharp enough to pin him if she aimed too carefully. “You don’t seem very excited about it.”

While Yu knew better than anyone that Nanako didn’t need anything dumbed down for her benefit, his mind still fought to find the correct words that would explain his feelings to her young cousin.

“Birthdays…just become a little less special as you get older, you know?” Yu explained with a light shrug.

The little girl puffed out a cheek and shook her head. “I don’t think so. Your birthday should always be a special day! After all, it means you lived another year. What’s not to celebrate?”

The maturity of her words caught Yu off guard.

“When is your birthday, big bro?” she followed-up. “Oh, as long as you don’t mind telling me! You don’t have to…but I’d really like to know.”

A look of sadness touched the young girl’s dark eyes. There was such a forlorn veneer to her expression that Yu couldn’t immediately decipher the reason behind. Then, as he remembered what the young girl must have dealt with every single year when she would have longed to celebrate her own birthday with a mother who was no longer alive, all his inhibitions seemed to pale in comparison.

He told her the date.

When she heard the occasion was only a few days away, he swore the young girl’s face light up like a firework, igniting up the surrounding darkness with her instantly cheery expression.

“Really?” she asked, cheeks flushing. “Thank goodness! I was scared we missed it when I heard daddy calling. He sounded kind of angry, so I wasn’t sure.”

That second statement also intrigued Yu greatly. If what Nanako was saying was true, it seemed like his uncle had called to give his parents an earful about something. Honestly, Yu wasn’t sure how comfortable he was with the possibility. He didn’t feel like an arbitrary day of celebration, let alone one that was for _him_ , was worth the trouble. Perhaps the young girl had simply misheard something and, when passed from ear-to-ear, it had become misinterpreted somewhere along the way. That seemed like the most likely conclusion that could be drawn.

“Nope, you didn’t miss it,” Yu told the girl with a little smile. “But that’s enough of that. C’mon and eat up before dinner gets cold.”

The little girl laughed mischievously before reaching for her own chopsticks. As she snapped them in half and began to neatly carve out portions of the omelet to put into her mouth, Yu couldn’t help but notice that the bright twinkle in her eyes from before hadn’t faded. Plus, even while she ate, he noticed her humming merrily under her breath and in-between buttery, eggy bites of dinner.

“What are you smiling so much about?” Yu asked playfully as she continued her overly-innocent façade.

“Nothing at all!” she replied in a singsong. She reached for another delicious bite of food and grinned broadly at him. “Don’t worry about it, big bro. In fact, don’t even think about it!”

Well, that was one promise Yu could keep easily. Especially when it came to his own birthday.

* * *

By the time the fateful day finally rolled around, he’d already put the conversation out of his mind.

Yu rose at dawn, beating his alarm as usual before making his way downstairs. He cooked some breakfast for Nanako before setting out for another day of school.

He went to class like normal and, as usual, was the first one in the classroom. When Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko filed in afterward, they all big him their usual morning greetings. Yosuke patted his back and the girls offered him waves. Yu responded appropriately to their affectioned before the sound of the school’s bell summoned the quartet to their seats and forced them into another long day of neck-craning textbook scanning and intense studying that make the brains of even the smartest students stutter. No doubt, the entire time, Yosuke would snooze in the seat behind him while Chie and Yukiko would throw him sympathetic glances when the teacher repeatedly called on him in class and attempted to make a show of his intelligence.

All in all, it was just another normal day.

After school, Chie and Yukiko bid Yu a brief farewell. Both claimed they had something to take care of at the Amagi Inn, so they bolted off together unusually fast. Yu found the brevity of the visit strange but didn’t comment on it.

Then, just before he finished packing his school bag, a hand landed in the middle of his school desk had enough to immediately capture his attention. He followed the lines of the slender arm upward until his silver eyes landed on the face of his partner.

“Walk with me, partner,” Yosuke said.

Unlike the other times when Yosuke suggested that he and Yu take a beat to hang out and enjoy each other’s company, this time, Yosuke left zero room for negotiation.

“Um…okay,” Yu replied with an immediately charmed smile. While he was surprised by his best friend’s boldness, he wasn’t turned off by it. He said in an upbeat voice, “Sure. That actually sounds nice. Where are we going?”

“Just on a walk,” Yosuke said with a shrug. “It’s nice out and, after a long day of sitting—”

“You mean napping,” Yu interjected.

“—Of napping, sure,” Yosuke replied with a handsome smirk that made color rise to Yu’s cheeks. “Well, no matter the reason, I feel a major urge to stretch my legs. I thought you might like to come.”

The idea was appealing. Maybe he’d slept weird the night before, but Yu did feel an unusual stiffness in his legs that he didn’t usually have. Going on a nice walk with his friends sounded like a lovely way to pass the time. It was better than going straight home to do even more studying.

Just this once, Yu decided to treat himself.

“A walk it is,” he agreed with finality. He then swung his arm out dramatically toward the classroom doorway. “Lead the way.”

Yosuke took the teasing in stride and only have his friend one playful punch to the shoulder. Usually, Yu’s sharp tongue ofted result on two playful punches to each shoulder from the slightly shorter team.

It seemed, today, Yosuke was going easy on him.

The two walked around Inaba for what must have been a couple hours. They meandered through the shopping district and sauntered along the quiet floodplains, where only the sound of crickets followed their footsteps.

All the while, they chatted about every topic under the sun. From test scores to what girls the infamous bachelor Yu Narukami was crushing on (the answer was always “none”) the two circled the entire city together. They explored places Yu had never even been before, which he found hard to believe in a town of Inaba’s size. Yosuke even showed him to an alleyway behind one of the fishmonger’s shops where a ton of stray cats always gathered to feed on scraps.

When the duo rolled up to find the hoard of hungry felines, Yosuke brandished a couple cans of cat food from his pocket.

It was as if Yosuke had come prepared for their outing.

For the rest of the walk, a parade of cats followed behind them in a surprisingly uniform formation. They meowed happily as they scampered around Yu and Yosuke’s legs and wove precariously around the tires to Yosuke’s bike.

While Yosuke griped about carrying his bike under his arm for the rest of the walk to avoid smashing any poor cat’s tail (which he honestly didn’t want to do anyway), Yu couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun just taking a walk.

Leave it to Yosuke to turn a simple outing into something completely unforgettable.

By the time the sun finished setting beneath the horizon, the two had traversed the entire city multiple times. Their final destination, to Yu’s confusion, was the Amagi Inn. All the lights closed from behind the panes of the inn’s many rooms, making the whole structure glow like a beacon in the dark night.

The silver-haired teen had intended to walk pass the structure without a second thought, but when he saw Yosuke roll his bike over to the porch’s bike rack to lock it safely into place, Yu’s curiosity immediately intensified.

“Yosuke?” he asked, piping his voice up about the hum of crickets and the constant meowing from the caravan of cats that was still trailing behind them. “What are we doing here?”

“Oh, I thought we’d stop in to see Chie and Yukiko,” he replied as he sat up from latching the bike lock. Then, Yosuke’s eyes crinkled slightly at the edges as a chubby tuxedo cat began to wind around his legs. The result was him nearly falling in his face.

“However…that was before we adopted a meowing cult of cats!” he exclaimed, trying to stare at the cats with an intimidating expression. As expected, the cat kept cuddling close to him, and his attempt to be threatening actually fell on its face.

Yu could only laugh. “You’re the one that fed them.”

At this, Yosuke opened his mouth to adamantly object. However, mere moments later, he snapped his jaw shut again and shook his head. “You know what? It’s not even worth it. I can’t argue.”

“Literally,” Yu added, smirking as he stepped up to the entryway. “Since, you know, I’m right.”

“Quiet, you!”

Yu laughed loudly as the pitter-patter of pawprints continued behind them. “I just hope they’re not serving fish here tonight.”

“God, this of the massacre,” Yosuke replied with a shiver. “We’ll have to face Yukiko’s wrath if that happens. If it does, I’m totally hiding behind you!”

Yosuke started to open the door, but not before Yu decided to toss him another playful reply. “What are you talking about? Again, it was your idea to come—!”

The second the door opened, Yu was bombarded with a literal cacophony of bursting party poppers.

A rainbow sprinkle of graffiti clouded his vision temporarily as his senses rushed to overcome the sudden, multicolored stimulus overload. Once the cloud of confetti cleared, he could see Nanako, Dojima, Chie, and Yukiko all standing expectantly in the entryway.

His two classmates were also holding both end of a very large chocolate cake with the words ‘Happy birthday Yu!’ written in neat, sugary cursive.

“Happy birthday, big bro!” Nanako said loudly. She threw her arms overhead and jumped for joy at his surprised expression.

Following her declaration, everyone else began to clap rigorously and cheer for the surprised teenager.

Even Yosuke, who had been scowling mere moment before, was whooping in delight. He wrapped an arm around Yu’s shoulder and shook him into a tight embrace. “Happy birthday, partner!”

Yu was thoroughly shocked. In fact, the teen was so speechless following the surprise that he imagined his agape expression must have made him look like one of the fish for sale he and Yosuke had just seen at the fishmonger’s storefront.

“Nanako, did you…plan this?” Yu finally stuttered out. When she nodded, he couldn’t resist laughing as he bent down to give his cousin a hug. As expected, the little girl rushed readily into her big brother’s arms for a tight embrace that even had Dojima cooing at the sight of it.

“Yep, she told us the big day was coming up, and we knew we had to celebrate,” Yosuke chimed in.

“We figured you wouldn’t want a big, huge party,” Yukiko said honestly. “But when Nanako told us about it, we couldn’t just do _nothing._ You’re our leader and you’ve done so much for us. There had to be some way we could thank you.”

“So, we all pitched in and bought you the biggest cake they sold at Junes!” Chie said, throwing a fist into the air with pride while her other hand continued to keep her half of the cake steady. “It’s dark chocolate and caramel! I thought it sounded way too sweet, but Yosuke said it was your favorite.”

To Yu’s amazement, that was absolutely correct. Although, he couldn’t remember explicitly telling any of his friends about his penchant for the salty and sweet combination. Hell, not even his parents seemed to know about it. “How did you..?”

“The timing couldn’t be better either,” Yukiko added, inadvertently interrupting Yu’s question. “Junes just started carrying them too. Talk about good luck, right?”

Yu flashed his eyes to meet Yosuke’s. The chestnut-haired teen mumbled something in embarrassment before scratching the back of his neck and looking away to diffuse the intense look Yu was giving him. As usual, he played off his caring gesture by pretending like it wasn’t a big deal.

But to Yu, the gesture was a big deal.

It told him a lot.

It told him that Yosuke probably hadn’t guessed the flavor of cake. After all, it was a pretty unique flavor, and Junes had just started carrying in. Yosuke had probably known his favorite flavor in advance from all the times the two had gone to the movies together and Yu had ordered the same sea salt and chocolate candies every time.

For a second, Yu dared to think that perhaps Nanako had told Yosuke first about his birthday and that he’d managed to pull some strings and get the cakes delivered to the store. It seemed very unlikely, but the holidays were approaching, and it seemed like a possible feat for the impressive Prince of Junes to pull off. No doubt the store was busy ordering large quantities of seasonal nods, of which cakes would be included.

“Yosuke, did you…?” Yu asked, eyes wide as he studied his best friend’s movements carefully.

“It’s no big deal,” Yosuke repeated, almost sounded exhausted at the insistence. “C’mon man, it’s your birthday! It was worth it.”

Those four words told Yu everything he needed to know.

The two stared at each other for a few extra seconds while the others suddenly diverted their attention to a sizable group of unknown guests.

“Um…why are you guys being followed by cats?” Dojima asked awkwardly as the felines began to traipse their way indoors. Almost instantly, Nanako began laughing in delight and the girls lifted the cake even higher into the air to prevent any mischievous paws from dipping into the icing.

Still flustered from before, Yosuke fumbled repeatedly in various attempts to answer the older man’s question. “Um…well, you see…”

“It’s another present from Yosuke,” Yu chimed in, giving his partner a wink. “Right?”

This time, Yosuke was the one to blush deeply at the smile Yu graced him with. Just as quickly as it happened, Yosuke ended their exchange with frantic mumbling and by directing everyone to one of the inn’s many multi-use rooms where the rest of the birthday feast could be enjoyed by everyone in attendance.

For the first time that Yu could remember, he sat at a table with his family and friends and actually celebrated his birth. For too many years, he’d disregarded the day’s importance readily and resigned himself to occasion loneliness.

His family members, Nanako and Dojima, sat the closest to him at the large table. On the other side, Chie and Yukiko joined in cheerful conversation while petting the multiple cats that joined them for the feast. While everyone had been skeptical, Yukiko said that it would be okay for the cats to attend the private party since they’re rented a private room that was closed off from any of the sleeping or cooking areas. All that would be required would be a quick clean-up following the celebration, which would have been needed anyway. Of course, Chie and Yosuke readily volunteered to lend their assistance for the cause.

… _Yosuke._

Yu looked up to see the topaz-eyed teen sitting across from him. He was preoccupied with petting the head of a particularly daring calico that had immediately curled up on the teen’s lap.

As he watched Yosuke rub his nose against the cat’s, Yu’s mind dared to wander.

Who was Yosuke to him?

He was somewhere between a friend and family. Their bond was something Yu couldn’t exactly pinpoint, but merely resigning the teen to a ‘best friend’ role didn’t seem accurate enough. Yu knew he was more than that. Especially after what Yosuke had done to help out with his birthday, he couldn’t just chalk up his friend’s actions to those of a normal do-gooder. Not only had he taken special care to pick out just the right cake, but he’s also walked him around the entire city for hours. He’d literally spent the entire afternoon keeping Yu entertained and happy while the others readied their surprise.

There was something more to his actions.

Or, perhaps, it was just wishful thinking.

The sight of flickering candles atop an intimidatingly large slab of cake placed beneath his nose snapped him out of his daydream.

“Big bro, make a wish!” Nanako prompted as Dojima finished lighting every candle on the large cake.

“Just make sure you don’t tell anyone,” he reminded him with an unusually merry smile. It seemed that the festivities were breaking even his austere mood.

Yu looked at Yosuke one last time. When their eyes met, a warm smile greeted him.

“Go on, partner,” Yosuke said with a nod.

Partner.

Yes.

_That’s_ what he wanted.

Yu closed his eyes and blew out the candles, with Yosuke’s warm stare still lingering in a vision behind his eyes.


	19. Day 19: Persona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu awakens his Persona, and Yosuke's perspective about him changes forever.

_“Per…so…na!”_

Yosuke heard the clear and commanding voice come from a few feet over his head. Even though he was curled into a ball on the ground in a futile attempt to protect himself from the approaching hoard of misshapen monsters, the voice broke through his terrorized trance. The second they’d emerged from a doorway in the strange world and immediately started crawling toward them on awkwardly stilted legs, Yosuke felt his entire body fall to the ground in obvious terror.

With no way to defend himself, he could only flail back awkwardly in an attempt to evade the beasts.

Emerging into a dark and shadowy world after stepping through a department store television had already fried the teenager’s nerves, but now that he’d the strange world was filled with monsters that acted as dangerous as they looked.

The only other person he was with from his own world, Yu Narukami, showed no such signs of distress.

He was calm and collected as the monsters approached. Once Yosuke had peeled back far enough, he also noticed that a strange glow appeared to be emitting from his classmate. When his orange eyes flitted upwards, he saw that the pulsing light appeared to be coming from his companion’s outstretched hand.

“Naru…kami…?” Yosuke stuttered, barely able to keep his voice straight as he looked up at the sight before him.

While Yosuke was stunned to near silence, Yu seemed calm and collected. He seemed to be unusually in control of the situation, and of the power that seemed to emanate from his open palm.

It was his confident declaration of the word ‘persona’ that had snapped Yosuke out of his fearful stupor.

Then, when his rigid fingers suddenly drawn back and smashed the source of the glow radiating from his hand, Yosuke felt another surge of energy push him even harder into the ground. However, the power he felt from Yu wasn’t the same as the oppressive force he felt oozing from the monsters, who were currently just as stunned at Yosuke was as his companion’s sudden showcase of power.

Topaz eyes flew open as the energy began to form into a dark mass over Yu’s squared shoulders. The form was tall but sleek, with an angular body and a smooth face that almost resembled a mask. The strange energy also appeared to wield a sword, which was much more intimidating than any weaponry they had on hand.

As Yosuke continued to watch from his position on the ground, Yu outstretched his arm toward the monsters. Yosuke swore he felt the voice rattle down every noting in his already tingling spine.

 “Go, Izanagi!” he ordered with complete confidence.

The dark mass obeyed.

Blade in hand, it charged forward and used skillful swipes to decimate the foes that lingered in their pathway. When one particularly stubborn entity managed to dodge the attack, it gracelessly flailed forward and sank its teeth into the larger entity’s shoulder.

Yu let out a pained grunt and almost stumbled to his knees. Although Yosuke only caught a glimpse of the teen’s face for a second, his expression appeared to be manic and pained.

Yosuke felt his concern flare almost immediately. Realizing there was nothing he could technically do, he almost bolted to his feet to rush to Narukami’s aid. However, he stopped dead when he saw the silvery, knife-like glow in Yu’s narrowed eyes and deeply furrowed brow.

_“Get off me!”_ Yu screamed, as if he was in the same amount of pain as the giant puppet he seemed to be commanding.

Again, the entity seemed to obey the order unconditionally as it lifted a massive arm and hauled the enemy off of his body. Then, with a simple flick of his wrist, a powerful bolt of lightning descended from the swirling fog overhead and decimated the enemy into a black, dissolved pulp.

Yu braced a hand on his waist as his other gradually undid the buttons of his new school uniform’s blazer. All the while, Yosuke look up at his classmate as if he was gazing upon a mythical god.

“Dude…” Yosuke said, cheeks flushing light pink as he stared on in awe. “You’re…freakin’ awesome.”

Yu didn’t seem to hear Yosuke’s compliment as his silver gaze wandered down and back to his overturned hand. As the entity behind him slowly dissolved in a flurry of blue mist, his fingers remained in a twitchy state. The student stared down at his own limb as if it was a foreign object. 

After a few moments of heavy breathing, no doubt from the exertion of fighting multiple enemies in one powerful blitz, he finally spoke up again.

“Persona…” Yu whispered, putting all the syllables together into a cohesive word. “This power. It belongs to me.”

Yosuke continued to watch his classmate carefully. When Yu finally registered Yosuke’s obvious staring and turned to meet him, sirens immediately blared in the brunet’s head. Fearing a repercussion, Yosuke swallowed loudly and inched back along the ground again to put an extra smidge of space between their bodies.

Yu smirked down at him with a confident expression. He seemed like a new person, as is he’d awakened from a long slumber and was finally refreshed.

He then surprised the frazzled brunet again by leaning down and offering him the same hand he’d used moments prior to summon a powerful weapon seemingly out of the blue.

“Come on,” he beckoned in a soft, yet bold voice.

Yosuke couldn’t have been more intrigued.

_“Okay. I totally have to know more about this guy.”_

Yosuke accepted the outstretched hand without hesitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm...so behind. I'm so sorry, guys!
> 
> My head totally blanked on this prompt! I don’t know if I did this prompt right, but…I hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless.  
> Anyway, I kind of combined the game/animation awakening scenes to create the scenario in this fic. Instead of just copying one of them verbatim, I tried to add a different spin on it. I hope it worked!
> 
> Thank you all for all your reviews and kind words! I read every single one, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate each and every


	20. Day 20: Working

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke asks for Yu's help during a busy weekend at Junes, and tries to come up with a way to repay his boyfriend.

“Dude, I’m still so sorry that I pulled you into this!”

Yu let out a dry cackle as he finished sliding a weighty cardboard box under one of the stock shelves. The box was filled with old, autumn-themed decorations that had to be packed away as Junes prepared for its seasonal winter sales. Bouquets of orange foliage and assorted gourds would be exchanged for fake snowfall and red velvet accents. Yu swore he saw less white birch in actual forests than during the annual Junes seasonal overhaul. Stockings and ornaments wouldn’t start adorning the displays until it was closer to the actual holidays.

Even so, the décor of the entire department store still needed to be completely switched over from orange and gold to silver and grey. It was a momentous task, but Yu Narukami was hardly the type of person to protest a session of organizing and decorating. As shown by the various models he had in his room back at Dojima’s house and his bedroom back in Tokyo, Yu was quite a fan of meticulous tasks that required long bouts of undivided attention.

That didn’t mean that his partner, Yosuke Hanamura, wasn’t incessantly apologetic about having to ask for the extra help in the first place.

“I am so, so sorry!” Yosuke said again as he hoisted another heavy box down from a nearby table to also arrange in the already cramped storeroom.

“It’s really no big deal, Yosuke,” Yu replied with another huff as he lodged the box as far as it could feasibly go under the shelving unit before standing up again. “If it was a big deal, I wouldn’t have agreed to help.”

“But still…” Yosuke objected, his voice pitching into a familiar whine. “What kind of person asks their boyfriend to help them decorate their work during a holiday weekend?”

Yu shrugged somewhat edgily at Yosuke’s lack of understanding. He’d already apologized at least a hundred times earlier, and Yu wasn’t sure how to make it any clearer to his insistently self-deprecating boyfriend that he honestly didn’t mind taking a couple hours out of his Saturday to spend him with him. Hell, the pleasure was all his.

“I’m sorry if you don’t believe me, but I genuinely don’t mind,” he insisted again. “Besides, I’m not the one doing the hard work. I may be back here decorating, but you’re the one dealing with the crazy customers out there. That’s way worse than what I’m doing.”

Yosuke’s cheeks reddened a little bit at his partner’s statement. He rubbed his nose at the praise, much to Yu’s delight.

“Heh…true,” Yosuke conceded with a smile.

He offered Yu an appreciative smile to show that he was truly thankful for his input on the situation.

“Okay, I won’t fight you there,” Yosuke replied sheepishly. “The customers are a major pain in the ass, but still, you’ve been lifting and moving stuff all morning! Oh, and that winter display you made for the sparkling juice section? I’ve already heard people complimenting it.”

Earlier in the day, Yu had used some spare ribbons from one of the older backroom boxes. Instead of just dusting them off and hanging them up in various locations around the store, he’s unraveled them and used them to add a somewhat frilled border to a large sale flier that dangles from the ceiling. It was quite an eye-catching tactic, and it even earned Yu extra praise from Yosuke’s father.

“I have to thank you somehow,” Yosuke said again, this time more to himself than his exasperated partner.

“You really don’t—” Yu was about to insist before Yosuke cut him off again.

“Alright, I’ve got it,” he said, slapping his palms together before pointing in Yu’s direction. “Instead of saying sorry again, I’m going to show you how thankful I am for all your help!”

Yu lifted a silver brow in evident intrigue. “Really?”

“Yep,” he replied with a nod so firm that it made his chestnut locks bob against his cheeks. “Instead of us just going to Aiya’s again, I’m going to cook for you!”

That…was a surprise Yu hasn’t been expecting to hear.

“You’re going to cook?” he asked with a tilt of the head. “Really? Are you sure?”

The brunet didn’t waste a second nodding in affirmation.

“Yeah!” Yosuke declared happily. “After all, I’ve already bought you steak from out food court ad nauseam, y’know? So, this time, I want to prepare you something personal!”

Yu turned to Yosuke slowly, his eyes soft from the sweetness of Yosuke’s proposed gesture. “Honestly, that sounds great. I’d love to try your cooking. That is, so long as you don’t mind. I mean, you’ve been working all day too.”

Yosuke waived his hand nonchalantly at Yu’s expression of concern. He said, “C’mon dude, of course I don’t mind. I’ve been wanting to cook for you for a long time, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to finally show you my  _smooth moves_ in the kitchen.”

Yosuke confirmed his seriousness by yanking up one of the sleeves of his bright orange top until it revealed the small swell of a lightly-tanned bicep beneath. He then flexed playfully, as if to accentuate the power of his metaphorical ‘moves.’ The sight would have made Yu blush when the two had first started dating. While his best feature was definitely his legs, his arms were also quite the sight for sore eyes. They were toned and nicely defined from hours of lifting and working after school and on weekends in a crowded department store.

“That…sounds great,” Yu said, not flustered but still slightly distracted by the flash of Yosuke’s muscle.

“You already said that, partner,” he laughed. He pulled down his sleeve and tugged at the edges of his apron to make sure the canvas material sat flat against his body. “Okay, it’s settled! After we finish decorating, we’re going ingredients shopping! I’ll cook you whatever you want. My only contention is that I can’t do tofu.”

A mirthful chuckle escapes Yu’s pursed lips. “Still?”

“ _I knoooow_ ,” he groaned pleadingly as his body drooped downward at the waist, so his forehead almost collided with his knees. “I’ll learn eventually. I swear.”

Yu responded by placing a hand atop Yosuke’s head and playfully mussing his head of soft, already disheveled hair. “I can work with that. No tofu. How about…curry and rice?”

A sparkle returned to Yosuke’s eyes as his body snapped upright.

“Oh, I can totally do that!” he said happily. “Don’t worry, it’ll totally turn out better than the curry we had on the camping trip. Honestly, I’ve been practicing cooking to make sure we don’t have a repeat of the Mystery Food X incident.”

Yu tried his best to not cringe at the expense of his teammates’ catastrophic cooking skills. The dark expression on his face, however, was enough to make Yosuke rear back his head and laugh.

“That’s very reassuring,” Yu replied, shivering as he recalled how one bite of the concoction had caused him to see stars behind his eyelids. It had knocked him out faster than a cold-clock from a Shadow.

However, the second half of Yosuke’s sentence didn’t go unnoticed by Yu.

In fact, the silver-eyed teen’s face began to redden again at the idea of Yosuke bustling around a kitchen and cooking after a long day of work. While Yu didn’t like the idea of Yosuke overworking himself even more than he already did, as someone who enjoyed cooking himself, it was hard to not find the image of Yosuke rolling up his sleeves and getting to work in the kitchen as an extremely appealing image in his mind. Also, the notion that Yosuke had been practicing cooking in secret to made Yu a homecooked meal touched the silver-eyed teen's heart in a way that he couldn't quite describe.

“Um, Earth to Yu?” Yosuke asked suddenly, knocking his fist gently in the area between his boyfriend’s eyes. “You in there, partner?”

Yu chuckled as he slowly ascended out of his own mind and back into the realm of reality. “I’m fine. Actually, I’m great.”

Yosuke crossed his arms skeptically and looked him over. His gaze was critical and finely tuned to see any inconsistencies in his partner’s behavior. “Yeah? You sure about that?”

“I’m positive,” Yu affirmed with a slightly over-exaggerated thumbs-up. He then bent down to start picking up the rest of the boxes they still had to put away. He then returned to work with almost seamless diligence that caused Yosuke to cock a brow in confusion.

Then, when he caught sight of the faint blush on Yu’s cheek, he clicked his tongue in sudden understanding.

“Oh, I get it,” Yosuke said, smirk widening as he sauntered close to Yu. Making sure to not startle him so much that he dropped the box and hurt himself, he leaned forward and placed his chin on Yu’s shoulder. The two were just close enough for their cheeks to brush. The tickle of Yosuke’s eyelashes and brush of his velvety lips sent slow shivers down his spine.

“Huh?” Yu asked over his shoulder. He tried to hide the sudden nervousness in his voice by straining to lift another heavy box. “What do you _get_?”

Yosuke’s laughter rumbled so deeply in his chest that Yu could feel it through his sweater.

“Well, it’s just a theory, but I think someone might be more interested in the chef than the actual cooking,” Yosuke proposed with confidence that Yu found insanely attractive. “Am I right?”

“…Maybe,” Yu confessed huffing a bit as he turned to face Yosuke. Damn, his boyfriend was as astute as always when it came to pinning emotions to his silent reactions.

Yosuke grinned victoriously and he turned his head to place a kiss against Yu’s temple.

“I thought so,” he said as he snaked his arm around Yu’s waist. Finally, Yu gave in to temptation and sat the box down on the floor so he could reciprocate the embrace. Carefully, his lifted his hands and settled them around Yosuke’s slightly narrower waist to pull their bodies tantalizingly close. When he also noticed that they were completely alone in the room, his hands wandered to his partner’s bum and squeezed firmly.

“Yep, I had a feeling I was right,” Yosuke snickered, eyeing Yu’s wolfish grin with a sultry, half-lidded gaze. “Okay. We can’t stop working early, but here’s something to hold you over.”

This time, Yu was able to read Yosuke perfectly without any additional explanation.

They both leaned in and pressed their lips, still curled into smiles, into a passionate kiss that would probably mean spending a few minutes overtime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this prompt! Thank you all so much for reading all the way through to the end. I really appreciate it. <3
> 
> Quick reminder, you can also find me on Tumblr (romeo-and-antoinette) if you're craving more Souyo shenanigans. I tend to post prompts there, answer and also post scribbles too.
> 
> Again, thank you guys so much for reading! I love you all, and I'm sending you guys tons of hugs and kisses. Bye for now!


	21. Day 21: Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke spend some time on a beach in Hawaii.

There was almost nothing more heavenly for Yu Narukami than reclining against the sun-warmed towel and letting the sun’s rays dance over his skin.

The beach has always been a special place for him. Even when he was a teenager, he’d escape with his friends away from the foggy battlefields of Inaba to a seaside hideaway where they could splash in the sea, sip sodas and suntan all they desired.

While Yu had been a much bigger fan of swimming when he was younger, as he’d become an adult, he’d come to appreciate the gentle calmness that accompanied a peaceful rest on the sand beneath a shady palm tree. Dressed only in his swim trunks and an unzipped swimsuit cover-up, he reclined under the coverage of the cool evergreen foliage as the distant sound of crashing waves almost lulled him to sleep.

So far, his honeymoon with his partner and husband was going swimmingly well. They two hadn’t just left their apartment in Tokyo to vacation together, but had decided to mark the occasion with an extra special and more expensive trip to Hawaii to celebrate their honeymoon. The two departed for the airport together less than a day following their wedding day at the Amagi Inn all the way back in Inaba. From their perspective, it was a perfect blend of both familiar and new elements that seemed to come together seamlessly for the grand, final hurrah of their amazing celebration of matrimony, and an amazing beginning for the rest of their life together as an official married couple.

After arriving in Hawaii, they’d waited in line for their room behind a group of high school students wearing uniforms that looked like they were from Tokyo. Such a sight would have made Yu feel homesick if his hand wasn’t firmly folded tightly against Yosuke’s, their fingers interlaced as they waited in the hectic line to check-in to their room. They'd ultimately opted for more casual accommodations in exchange for spending more money on delicious food and the high fares to get into some of the most private beaches on the island.

After a few searches and scanning for than a dozen tourist guides in their hotel bed, the two managed to find a more secluded beach on the island. It was within walking distance of their resort but was still tucked away safely behind a wall of lush greenery and coconut palms. Yu knew not many people would be out in the surf so early in the morning, if it the lack of pedestrian footfalls and chatter was anything to go by, he'd guessed correctly.

Again, it was almost impossible for Yu to picture a more perfect scenario.

_Almost._

When the warmth of the sand against his back was matched by the feeling of his husband’s bare chest pressing against his own, Yu let out a guttural groan as the instantaneous friction.

When he opened his eyes to peer past the darkness of his sunglasses, he saw Yosuke’s body lingering inches over his own. He lifted his body away from Yu’s to add a few inches of space between them. Yu knew it was so Yosuke could stare down at him with the topaz eyes that somehow burned brighter than the tropical sun overhead. While Yosuke’s finely carved body warmed him physically, it was the brunet’s honeyed eyes never failed to warm his soul.

Yu quickly observed as Yosuke pulled away from him that his hair, which was usually shaggy in mild disarray, laid flat and wet against his neck and cheeks. The fine strands clung to his lightly freckled cheekbones and splayed across his forehead. His brunet locks stuck to the entire length of his already flushed face, all the way to his perfectly rounded lips.

Yu even watched as one particular droplet of water ran all the way down the length of Yosuke’s neck and down his tone, tanned chest. His eyes followed the path of the water as it snaked slowly through the sand-dusted ridges on Yosuke’s abdomen until it finally vanished beneath the low-slung waistband of his swim trunks.

“ _Wow_ ,” Yu gasped, not realizing he’d said anything until the word left his lips like a sigh. “I mean, um…yeah?”

For once, Yu was at a complete loss for words because his mind went completely blank and he had no clue what to say.

Sensing that was the case, Yosuke immediately took over to lead the situation.

“I’m freezing,” Yosuke cooed seductively against’ Yu’s ear. The aroma of salt water and ocean air swirled around him as he continues to lean close and place scalding kissed along Yu’s sun-warmed jawline. “Warm me up, partner.”

Yu gasped his husband’s name. _“Yosuke…”_

Their bodies swayed together again as Yosuke continued to dot kisses down Yu’s warm cheeks and face. When their lips finally connected, Yu could taste the salt water and feel the coarseness of the sand as he reached up to thread his fingers through Yosuke’s damp hair.

Finally, he closed his eyes and rode the waves of pleasure that started to wash over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I love beaches. So much.
> 
> This one is so short, but I have some ideas for longer prompts as we close out the month. In the meantime, I thought it would be nice to have a shorter prompt in the middle. If you’re reading all these prompts in one long marathon, this is totally your cue to stretch, grab some water or take a break.
> 
> Also, remember how I said when I wrote the wedding prompt that I would also be writing a fuller version later? The same is true for this one. I do plan to have a full, three-part story with Yu and Yosuke's proposal, marriage and a NSFW honeymoon, lol.
> 
> But for now, I hope you enjoyed this little quickie! (Heh)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! As always, I'm sending hugs and kisses galore. Bye for now!


	22. Day 22: The Metaverse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phantom Thieves Izanagi and Jiraiya have a close call in a Palace belonging to Adachi, an Inaba police officer and the culprit of a city-wide murder spree.

“Leader, look! It’s a treasure chest!”

The cloaked Phantom Thief stopped dead in his tracks as he looked to Teddie, one of his vibrantly costumed allies. Sure enough, a gold chest shimmered brightly at the end of a suspiciously long corridor. It looked oddly sectioned off compared to the other rooms on the map, so the silver-haired thief’s first instinct was to regard the tantalizing sight with a healthy amount of skepticism.

“That’s convenient,” Izanagi mused aloud while tugging on the edges of his black, silver-tipped gloves with evident nervousness. “Himiko, do you sense anything?”

The person he’d addressed wore a long, pale-colored gown and impressively detailed headset dressed in layers of gold flourish. Her dark eyes were shielded by a rose-tinted mask that doubled as an impressive radar, capable of detecting signals emitted by larger Shadows while also remembering weaknesses and strengths of enemies they’d already encountered while sneaking through the halls of the Palace.

However, this time, even she seemed stumped by the strange hallway.

“Hm…I’m not detecting any strong signals, but it could just be a trick,” she said honestly as she scanned the hallway before them with the utmost detail. “Senpai, the Palaces have been getting much harder lately, and if Adachi does truly suspect us…he’s going to be _very_ guarded. Even for me…it’s going to be tough to sense what’s up ahead.”

Izanagi couldn’t help but wince at the cruel truthfulness of his navigator’s words.

Normally, the discovery of a locked treasure chest would have made everyone on their team jump for joy. When they explored Palaces together and started to inevitably run low on supplies, they always had a few lockpicks on hand that were especially handy for raiding whatever loot they could on their journey.

However, it was difficult for anyone to feel any real sense of enthusiasm.

They had just realized with crushing dismay that the culprit of the Inaba murder spree that they’d been investigating Palace after Palace to try to decipher was led by none other than a police officer.

Adachi, who worked for his own uncle and had even eaten multiple uncomfortable dinners with him and the rest of his family, was a cold-blooded murderer. A police officer who joined the force just so he could carry a gun and torment people in a small town that none of the major news outlets gave a damn about.

It made him sick to his stomach to think about all the time he’d led them astray with miscellaneous hints and clever nods to veer them off his tail.

Adachi had murdered multiple people, including a few whose only ‘crime’ was resenting his unwarranted sexual advances. The stakes had already been high. Now, his innocent little sister was in critical condition in the hospital because of his selfish and perverted antics.

What angered the leader even more was how they’d all been strung along the entire time by his goofy exterior and seemingly harmless nausea around the dead bodies he investigated on a regular basis.

The thoughts filled him with such rage that he could barely contain himself. If time would have allowed him to do so, he would have stood still for ages and just seethed to himself about the unbridled amount of anger that was welling up inside of him.

“Hey,” a voice piped up from behind him. “Partner? Can you hear me?”

He snapped out of his enraged daydream and veered his head to see his second-in-command tactician: Jiraiya.

“Hey, don’t worry,” the thief offered with a sad smile. “We’re going to be okay, partner. I have an idea.”

Unlike Izanagi, who was dressed in a dark cloak and high collar that perfectly aided in the traditional thief aesthetic, Jiraiya wore layers of crisp white, accentuated by bright red and camouflage accents that did anything but blend into the surrounding of the dark Palace around them.

The Palace bore a striking resemblance to their local police department. Except the corridors were twisted and decorated with powerful enemies lurking in imposingly decorated rooms. Izanagi couldn’t help but cringe at how closely some of the places paralleled its real-world counterpart. The place also looked broken down and decrepit in some places, as if the building’s owner was trying to destroy it.

It was hardly a place anyone in their group would have want ed to infiltrate willingly. However, due to the task at hand, they had no choice.

“You stay right here,” he said as he outstretched a hand to his leader. “Give me a lockpick and I’ll go in alone.”

“Are you crazy?” another Phantom Thief, Tomoe, practically screamed from a few feet away. If it hadn’t been for Amaterasu regally lifting a gloved hand to smother her shout at the last second, Izanagi imagined they would have had to use their last Stealthanol to ebb the severity of the security breach caused by the echoing cry.

“She’s right,” Amaterasu said as she offered Jiraiya a concerned stare. “I know you’re the fastest of us, but…”

“That’s all the more reason for me to be the one to go in,” he rebutted. His cheerful smile was evident, even when hidden behind a dark mask. He then reverted his attention back to Izanagi, who was still staring at him in confusion.

“You don’t have to do that,” he finally replied with a firm shake of the head. “It could be a trap.”

“Or it could be a Soul Drop, or a Revival Bead, or something that we need,” Jiraiya returned. “I’ll be fine! I promise. Just let me do it.”

“I don’t want to risk losing you,” Izanagi returned more sternly than before.

“You _won’t_ ,” he said decisively. The reply wasn’t a question, but rather a confident statement that left zero room for negotiation.

The rest of the team watched with wide eyes as their leader closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Finally, it was Himiko who broke the tense silence. “I don’t want to rush you both, but Shadows are in the next hall over making rounds. If you’re going to go in, it has to be now, okay?”

The advice seemed to be the last nudge he needed to finally venture a choice.

“…If you go, I’m going too,” Izanagi finally decided. Everyone was also relieved to see that the cleansing exhale had allowed for a smile to grace his usually severe expression. A collective sigh of relief escaped from the group.

“Alright then,” Jiraiya said, giving his shoulders a good stretch before moving in front of the corridor. Although he was trying to act casual, he couldn’t quite stop himself from doing a little leap of excitement that nobody else on the team besides Izanagi probably even noticed. “Let’s do it.”

He nodded and joined his partner at the hallway’s intersection. His grey eyes fixated on their destination as he said, “Charge on my order. There…two…one! _Go!_ ”

The two bolted down the hall as fast as they could go. Along the wall, Jiraiya was able to spot the cameras and sensors that were implanted along the walls. While he dismantled the security features, Izanagi rushed forward to pick the lock on the chest.

Inside, just as his friend had predicted, was a Snuff Soul and a few vials of Baptismal Water. It wasn’t an exact match to his teammate’s earlier prediction, but his confidant had been correct that there would be useful loot waiting for them.

When they both turned back to exit the hallway, they were stunned to find that a gate had descended behind them and essentially trapped them inside. It looked from the rest of the group’s perspective as if the two partners were locked in a jail cell.

“Senpai, no!” Himiko cried as the trap released suddenly. “What the hell? I didn’t sense that at all!”

The other thieves watched in horror as the two partners quickly put their backs together at the first sign of Shadows emerging from the walls of the narrow corridor.

While Izanagi was fairly certain their team had trained and grinded their skills adequately enough to take down whatever foes awaited them.

The Shadows that had emerged from the walls of the trap weren’t ordinary enemies. They weren’t abstract monsters like the ones they’d fought and successfully eliminated before.

This time, the cognitive visions before them were spitting images of his uncle, Dojima, and his daughter Nanako. Both were cloaked in inky blackness, but their piercing yellow eyes seemed to light up the entire space.

Izanagi froze on the spot. “W…what?”

Oddly enough, there wasn’t a Shadow version of himself. He barely had the ability to ponder why as he stared back at the haunting, mental apparitions of his family members.

“Uncle…” Izanagi croaked, his thief persona cracking for just a moment as he at the unmistakable Shadow with a surprised and horrified stare. “And…Nanako…?”

When the entity heard the obvious terror in the silver-eyed teen’s voice, she reared back her head and laughed hideously at the turmoil that couldn’t be hidden behind a mask. The laugh was distorted and awkwardly pitched. It sounded too deep and uneven to belong to a human girl. Izanagi faltered and flailed to step away, breaking the battle formation against his own will.

A second later, the Shadow that resembled his own uncle brandished a gun and pointed it at the thief’s chest, ready to fire. He didn’t have the mental strength to move as quivered beneath the hauntingly familiar face.

Before the trigger could be pulled, the entity screamed in pain as a powerful torrent of fluorescent wind ripped through the shadowy body. The pain of the attack caused the enemies to immediately dissolve into pools of dark, bloody sludge. Seconds later, the reformed from the ground as their true identities; monstrous Shadows that had merely been wearing his relatives’ faces.

“Get a hold of yourself, partner!” Jiraiya called for a few feet away. His Persona was already behind him, waiting obediently for its next order as the Shadows struggled back onto their feet. They didn’t have much time left. “Don’t let this place trick you!”

Of course, his friend was right. Slowly but surely, his shock turned into anger inside him.

Was that…how Adachi saw his family? After everything they’d done for him following his warranted exile from the big city’s police force, he still saw his closest friend and his young daughter as nothing more than pawns in his grand scheme.

The smoldering rage in Izanagi’s chest suddenly bloomed into a raging inferno.

Every cord of restraint he’d felt holding him back snapped.

_“Ziodyne!”_

With one shout, Izanagi summoned his Persona and called force a torrential downpour of lightning that shook and rattled everything around them. The flashing strikes ripped through the flesh of the entities, which were no longer wearing the faces of his loved ones.

At the same time, Jiraiya followed up on the devastating blow by using Magaru on the enemies while they were both still defenseless on the ground. The powerful attacks didn’t hit their weaknesses, but thankfully, were still strong enough to wipe them out quickly before they had an offensive opening to counterattack. If there had been any more monsters, a follow-up attack would have been devastating and possibly fatal in such a tight space.

In a way, Izanagi was thankful that only two of them had gotten trapped together.

He was also endlessly thankful that person was Jiraiya. Without his close companion’s speedy initiative in battle and his even quicker, he didn’t want to think what would have happened.

As soon as the Shadows’ bodies completely melted away, the door of the prison cell opened and the two were able to quickly exit and rejoin their team again.

When the greeted their allies again, the duo was bombarded with frantic hugs and thankful sighs from all around their circle. Even Teddie was unusually serious as he wrapped two fluffy arms around both of their midsections.

“That could have been so bad,” Tomoe fretted. “Thank goodness you guys are okay!”

“It seems Himiko was right…” Amaterasu noted despondently as she looked around the imposing room. “This place is getting more and more warped by the second. We can’t afford to slip up from here.”

Rather than falling victim to the same depression that everyone else in the party had, Jiraiya broke the tension by lazily crooking his arms behind his head so his fingers could casually lace and serve as a place for him to rest his neck.

“We’ll be fine,” he told everyone with unshakable confidence. “That would have been bad if one of us went alone, but our leader is right. We have to stick together. As long as we do that, I believe in us.”

The effect of his words was instantaneous.

While nobody on their team had any clue as to what awaited them at the end of the Palace, they all also there was no turning back. No matter what, they had to change Adachi’s heart and force him to admit to his terrible crimes.

All the group could do was stick together and rely on their bonds to rescue them.

“That’s right,” Izanagi replied as he brandished his sword and pointed it forward. “Alright, everyone. Stick together, and let’s go!”

This time, he harbored no hesitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have played and beat Persona 5, so I had a great deal of fun with this!
> 
> Originally, I thought I'd get too invested in actually creating the universe to write a short fic, so...the original draft of this story was Yu and Yosuke watching the news with their son in Tokyo and seeing "The Phantom Thieves" media circus unfold. However, that doesn't really work for "Metaverse."
> 
> I'm sure I'll use the idea in the future. In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoyed this story. Thank you so much for reading!


	23. Day 23: Camping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Investigation Team spends an evening out at a campsite in Inaba.

Despite the sogginess of the leaf-covered forest floor, the campfire blazed high and bright in the center of a stone firepit. The smoke rose to the heavens in winding tendrils that snaked easily through the narrow openings in the tree canopy.

Gathered around the blaze were the members of Inaba’s Investigation Team, all bundled up to fend off the autumnal chill as they roasted marshmallows and chestnuts (Yukiko’s idea) at the town’s small and completely unofficial campsite.

The group decided to celebrate the last days of autumn by doing something they’d always romantically discussed during the school year: building a bonfire and watching the stars together.

While it wasn’t technically a camping trip since they’d all have to head back to their homes a few blocks away, the group still intended to stay out as late as possible to enjoy each other’s company.

Chie and Yukiko were bundled close on one blanket with another flannel blanket draped around their shoulders, with Chie sharing a cup of hot chocolate and Yukiko roasting the chestnuts with a fine, delicate touch to reassure each tiny delicacy was roasted to perfection. Chie didn’t seem interested in trying them, but Yukiko was happy to gobble down her share without much argument.

Naoto and Kanji sat in opposing chairs and chatted freely. The young detective was also slowly turning a ball of pastel-colored yarn over in her mitten-covered hands as Kanji crocheted the long stand in his lap. According to him, he was making a new scarf for his mother. Winter was only a few weeks off, after all.

Rise was busy toasting marshmallows over the fire. Even after multiple failed attempts, she was determined to learn the delicate art without sending the white puff ablaze or watching it plop into the fire with a wet thump. After each attempt, Teddie would bite each treat off the stick and react appropriately. An impending sugar rush was no doubt on the horizon for their bear-suited companion.

Yu and Yosuke had offered to take the large, overturned log as their seat so the others, especially the girls in dresses and skirts, didn’t have to feel the chill or unforgiving roughness of the unsmoothed wood against the back of their bare thighs. Neither teen complained about the arrangement since it allowed them to sit close together and provided a convenient place to rest their joined hands. Even through the thick material of their winter gloves, they could feel the warmth of each other’s hands.

A few months, ago, if the other teammates would have told the Prince of Junes that he’d be dating the Hot Transfer Student, he would have screamed or buried his head in the ground. Possibly both.

Now, he wouldn’t trade anything in the world for the way the firelight flickered across Yu’s silver eyes, making them look molten and even more steely against the warm flush of his cheeks.

 “Hey, you know what?” Yukiko suddenly piped up from the hot chocolate she and Chie were sipping. “Someone should tell a ghost story!”

“Oh, yeah!” Yosuke said, quick to agree to the suggestion. “It’s the perfect night for one. Cold. Hella dark. The works.”

Others were less enthusiastic about the suggestion.

“Wait, what?” Chie gasped, almost tipping over the chocolatey elixir from shock. “Yukiko, no! Please, my heart couldn’t take it. Not when we’re out here at night all alone…”

As she began to shiver even under the weight of the blanket, Yukiko retracted the idea almost instantly to help circumvent causing her girlfriend any further distress.

“I don’t have a scary story…but I do have a joke,” Yu piped up with a smirk that was a little wider than usual.

While everyone else’s interest was absolutely piqued at the idea of their austere leader telling a joke, Yosuke immediately recognized the mischievousness in his partner’s expression. What the rest of the team was too excited to notice any off-hand about the offer, Yosuke was well-aware that Yu wasn’t the type to set-up jokes. He typically slipped his deadpan humor into situations without any warning.

He knew instantly that his partner was up to something mischievous.

“There once was a man who needed a break from work,” Yu began, closing his eyes and leaning back as if he was a grand storyteller ready to weave a yarn of mythical, historic proportions to the group. “He worked seven days a week without break for months…”

“This story sounds sad!” Teddie interrupted, only to have Yukiko shush him.

Yu continued without skipping a beat. “Anyway, he decided to take a well-deserved cruise. It had been a long time since he’s taken a vacation, and he was completely burned out. He packed all his luggage and boarded the next boat out. The destination didn’t matter, as long as he could get away from work. So, he boarded the boat at 9 a.m. and found his room easily. He then realized he was quite thirsty. After all, he’d left his apartment first thing in the morning. So, he went to the bar first to get some wine or a cocktail, but the line was too long. He was too parched to wait, so he decided to try the vending machine near his room. Again, it was so crowded on deck that the line was long. He tried the water fountain next, but the line was so long that it stretched around the entire deck. Then, he decided to make his way to the ballroom, where there was a table set up with food and drinks for all the dancers. He looked around and, to his relief, he saw a punch bowl. He made his way over there, and…”  

“Oh my god, Senpai, get to the punchline!” Rise cried as she buried her head into her lap.

“That’s just it,” Yu said with a shrug. “He heads over to the table, and thankfully, there’s no punch line.”

Everyone was completely silent for a few seconds.

Even Yosuke, who flicked his eyes between Yu and the rest of the group to gauge the reactions, bit his lip in anticipation at seeing the rest of the group’s reaction.

Then, all at once, everyone groaned and stood up.

Yukiko was seconds away from manically cackling, but Chie made sure to drag her away before she gave Yu the satisfaction of bursting into a fit of giggles in front of the entire group.

“We’re all going to the store to buy more marshmallows,” Rise said slowly, as if she was drained of energy. She tugged on Teddie’s arm to pull him forward limply. The bear was almost tripped following behind her because his head was swaying low in defeat.

“You two stay here and watch the fire,” Chie groaned while she nudged Yukiko along, who was already beginning to dissolve into a fit of laughter that threatened to render her completely immobile.

As everyone began to walk away, Yosuke stared back at them with eyes as wide as saucers. “Hey, wait! What the hell? You guys are actually leaving us?”

The response from his question was lukewarm, at best.

“The convenience store is down the street,” Naoto offered simply as she made her way down the grassy hill leading to the site main path. “We’ll be back in a less than half an hour.”

“In other words, Senpai can tell another joke,” Kanji said with more bluntness than he intended. Then, as if shocked by his own words, he tossed a panicked glance at Yu before bobbed his head in respect. “Oh, shoot…um, no offense.”

Yu laughed and waved them off. “I could tell another one if you guys—”

“No, no, that’s okay,” Rise said quickly, hoping to save the leader she idolized from cracking another awful joke. “C’mon guys! Let’s go and we’ll bring back…something _. Anything_.”

“Like some punch?” Yukiko offered, the words barely coming about through the finger she pressed tightly against her lips to smother her laughter.

As the group sidled carefully down the hill to return to the nearby street, Yosuke heard Yu a laughter rumble deeply in Yu’s chest. The sound filled the starry night around them with the same romantic ambiance as the swell of an ocean wave or the rumble of a distant train on a quiet morning. To Yosuke, it was…calming.

It was also guilty-sounding, in his professional opinion as Yu’s closest and most personal confidant.

The brunet slowly moved his eyes back over to Yu and, just like before, saw the same mischievous smirk spread wide across his face.

“You…totally planned that, didn’t you?” Yosuke asked Yu pointedly, squinting his eyes suspiciously at his silver-haired boyfriend.

When Yu nodded candidly, smirk not faltering for even a second, Yosuke’s free hand flew to his eyes and he slumped his head over into her palm.

“Oh my god, _why?”_ Yosuke followed-up. His mood was torn somewhere between exasperation and amazement.

“I thought it might be nice to get some alone time with you,” Yu said honestly. “Besides, it was just a hunch. I’m glad at least Yukiko laughed, but honestly, I didn’t think they’d all _leave._ ”

Yosuke found the second part of his statement incredibly hard to believe, especially coming from someone as notoriously preparatory and cunning as Yu. Then again, his boyfriend could also be notoriously dense when it came to reading the tones of certain groups and situations.

Then, the first part of Yu’s confession finally registered in his brain.

“What did you say?” Yosuke asked. “You…wanted to just spend time with me?”

Yu rolled his lips slightly as if he was pulling them between his teeth to hide another smile. “I did."

When the look on Yosuke's face wasn't fully alleviated by the brief answer, Yu decided to seize the opportunity and elaborate further. His a coquettish tilt of the head, he looked at Yosuke and said, "Well, tell me what you think. Wouldn't you take any opportunity to spend alone time with your significant other on a cold night with only the warmth of a nice fire nearby?"

 _Hell yes,_ Yosuke mind bellowed inside his head.

As the sentiment slowly worked its way through Yosuke’s skull and into the dendrites and sinews of his flustered brain, Yu gently squeezed their hands together where they both still rested between their laps. The act awoke Yosuke from his thoughts, and their gazes reconnected instantly.  

A cloud of their condensed breath appeared between them as the rest of the world seemed to drift off into a silent, snowy blur around them.

Suddenly, Yosuke became even more entranced with the way the firelight played off the slopes and planes of his partner’s handsome features. As the light danced across his visage, Yosuke found himself even more drawn into Yu’s steady gaze. Perhaps the dancing light was playing with his mind, but he thought he saw a light blush bloom on his cheeks in response to the dose of undivided attention.

“I…think there were easier ways to go about that,” Yosuke finally offered, blushing and biting his lip a little bit at the sudden tone shift. “I mean, if that’s really all you wanted, all you have to do is ask. I wouldn’t mind going on a walk with you and ‘accidentally’ getting lost.”

Yu suddenly seemed to become bashful as his own face reddened with a heavy flush. This time, it was sudden enough for Yosuke to know it wasn’t a simple trick of the firelight.

He opened his mouth as if he was getting ready to reply, before hesitating and ultimately closing his lips with the gentle shake of a head.

He then dipped his head down and leaned in a little closer until the little space that had been between them was disregarded thank to the gentle brushing of their wool coats and the distinct sensation of Yu’s hair tickling Yosuke’s cheek as he lowered his head to meet him eye-to-eye.

One of Yu’s shoulders then nudged Yosuke playfully, as if he was gesturing for him to fit their bodies together and get closer so he could whisper something to him.

It was a gesture that reminded Yosuke of something a kid would do on a playground with their schoolyard crush. It almost made Yosuke roll his eyes, but by now, he was so used to Yu’s antics that hardly anything truly surprised him anymore.

Then again, if Yu was really going to tell him something…there was _no_ way he could not know what it was. Curiosity easily got the better of him.

Yosuke tossed his partner an inquisitive glare, but the didn’t stop Yu’s magnetic force from pulling him ever closer in silent yet eager obedience.

Then, just when Yosuke was inches away, Yu snuck a kiss on the apple of his cheek.

The pressure was enough for him to feel it against his incisors and molars in the back of his mouth as the skin pillowed beneath the tough of Yu’s lips. Yosuke’s lips curled into a smile at the contact, and he allowed a soft laugh to tumble from his lips as he continued to grip their hands together.

“I like that idea,” Yu whispered against the hot flesh of Yosuke’s cheek. He could feel each brush of his velvet lips slowly drag across his skin with a precision that couldn’t have been accidental. “Getting lost with you, I mean.”

Then, Yu gently pressed his lips in another soft but heavy kiss on the pulsebeat of Yosuke’s throat. He made sure that, which each touch, the sound of skin meeting skin made the distinct smooching sound that was clearly audible and unmistakable to any passerby…or their entire group of friends that they were anticipating returning at any second.

That settled it. Yu knew _exactly_ what he was doing.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t play along too.

“Yeah?” Yosuke inquired with a lifted brow. Teasingly, he leaned away from the kiss and tossed his hair out of his face. While the gesture looked around, it also allowed his face to emerged fully from his head of shaggy hair and hopefully offer his boyfriend an even wider variety of places to press kisses. “If you wanted to do that, it was a bad idea to invite the others.”

“Hm,” Yu frowned. “You got me there. I guess I have a soft spot for big gatherings.”

“I don’t think anyone would fault you for that,” Yosuke offered, the lilt in his voice giving way into a more sensual tone. “Besides, we have an entire winter break, right? There will be plenty of opportunities for us to… ‘get lost together.’”

The semi-mocking tone didn’t go unnoticed by Yu. As revenge, he leaned in again and placed an even louder kiss on Yosuke’s cheek. The teen sputtered loudly before bursting into a fit of squirming laughter that sent his limbs flailing with the same, manic energy Yu had always known him for.

As he swung his head back and forth to playfully evade any more flirtatious pecks on the cheek, Yu dove in again at the exact right second to slide their jaws together in a firm kiss.

The contact immediately stilled Yosuke’s more erratic movements.  

Instead, he slowly drew his arms up and high around Yosuke’ shoulder an pulled himself closer so he could sink into his boyfriend’s embrace. The deep kiss had a similar, mesmerizing effect on Yu, who swallowed one of Yosuke’s breathless sighs. When Yu pulled away momentarily to tilt his head for better access, Yosuke continued to place kissed along the side of his nose and across his chin in the meantime.

When their mouth rejoined and Yosuke prodded Yu’s lips with a gentle push of his tongue, Yu opened his lips and received the deeper kiss with passionate adoration that held his attention so firmly captive that he didn’t register the sound of snapping twigs and the sound of footsteps treading through the brush.

The two became so lost in each other’s eyes and lips that they were still locked together when the rest of the Investigation Team made their way back to the campsite.

While the group could have immediately intruded and forced the two apart in an embarrassing scramble, they all wordlessly decided to linger back and wait until they broke apart again to make their entrance.

Nobody cared about the delay in the slightest. After all, if Yu’s lips were pressed to Yosuke’s, it was a small price to pay for avoiding any more terrible jokes in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end! Also, I think an extra congratulations are in order for everyone that made it through Yu’s awful joke, haha!
> 
> No, seriously. Someone told me that joke in-person, and literally…everyone just got up and walked away. You just never know how reality is going to inspire your writing. 
> 
> I’m sending you all hugs and kisses. Bye for now!


	24. Day 24: Junes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu ponders exactly what he likes about Junes.

Yu liked Junes.

While the locals in Inaba often gossiped and glared at the massive department store for causing economic distress for some of the more local businesses, he still visited the store often. While he tried to shop local when he could and sincerely enjoyed getting to know the quirky shopkeepers that ran the more niche stores in town, sometimes, Yu simply enjoyed visiting the massive complex to spend time and hang out with his new friends.

He liked the people that worked at Junes. While some of the employees clearly didn’t want to be stocking shelves and dealing with terrible customers (Yu couldn’t blame them) he always tried to be respectful and cordial if he needed to ask for assistance. One particular employee had taken a shine to Yu, and it even led to them hanging out outside Junes. It wasn’t a problem for Yu. He enjoyed his visits inside and outside the store because of it. If he needed something, or just wanted to chat, someone was always there to listen to him and offer help.

He liked how Junes was almost always open. It didn’t matter what time of day it was. Junes wasn't open 24-hours a day, but it was an easy and accessible plan to meet up every day of the week in either the morning or the afternoon. It was always a safe bet. 

He liked how Junes was dependable. The selection of products was wide enough that, if he needed something, Yu knew he could most likely find it tucked in one of the many sprawling aisles. If he needed something, he could go there any time, day or night, and always find the remedy to what ailed him. 

He liked that Junes was approachable. Everything about the destination was familiar and comfortable. Yu wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something incredibly accommodating about its bright atmosphere and cheery aesthetic that always made Yu smile and feel at-home, even on his darkest days.

He liked that Junes was pleasuring to look at. While some parts could be a little grungy on bad days, the store was usually neat and tidy. The bright colors drew him in, and its upbeat atmosphere was a cure-all for every sour mood under the sun. It was also brightly lit in the evening, which made it akin to a beacon on dark nights.

He liked that his little sister, Nanako, also liked Junes. The young girl always enjoyed her visits and always came away smiling from every encounter.

Even if some of the other townsfolk rolled their eyes at it and didn’t understand its charm, it did nothing to change Yu’s feelings.

As he looked into the orange-tinted eyes of the smiling, apron-wearing employee who was making a beeline toward him from the intense crowd of bargain-shoppers, there wasn’t a single doubt in his mind.

No matter what anyone else said, Yu really did _love_ Junes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a more symbolic fic, but I hope it was still an enjoyable read. 
> 
> (We’re almost in the final stretch, guys. Let's do this and finish strong!)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	25. Day 25: Formal Occasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke celebrate Yu’s biggest courtroom win as a lawyer in Tokyo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This fic contains brief references/spoilers for Persona 5.]

Yu was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t even hear the jury file back into the courtroom. The shuffle was followed by the monotone deliverance of a non-guilty verdict and the heavy slam of a gavel.

Yu had done it. He’d won his first, huge case as a public defender. At first, it didn’t seem real, but the gentle applause he heard from his side of the courtroom cemented the occasion into reality. Up until this, the cases he worked with tended to involve things like personal injury and minor criminal offenses for individuals who simply couldn’t afford to hire a more expensive attorney.

His career was still a young one, but when he sent an inquiry about a case concerning a young woman going to jail for defending herself from a possible sexual assault, Yu knew it couldn’t be ignored.

He had taken it on as his biggest case so far, and after weeks of questioning witnesses and reassuring the woman’s distraught family, a non-guilty verdict had been returned after only a brief amount of deliberation.

After quickly stealing a glance at the defendant’s smiling face, Yu turned around and continued to mask his inner excitement with a visage of stoic professionalism until everyone was formally dismissed.

As people began to file out of the courtroom, before he knew it, he felt the arms of the young woman he’d defended fly around his torso as she sobbed gently in complete and utter thanks. Her parents, an older couple that had taken a three-hour train ride to attend the trial and support their daughter, were equally overjoyed. 

He’d successfully defended a young woman, a teller form one of the city’s largest banks, that had protected herself from a sexual assault by the bank’s notoriously wealthy CFO. The woman had apparently shoved the man into a lamppost and, for damages, had the nerve to sue her. For a while, it looked like the young woman would be found guilty. The poor woman didn’t have enough money to hire a fancy lawyer from one of Tokyo’s prestigious firms like he did, but she had Yu.

In addition to Yu’s merciless endurance in proving her innocence, he also noted there had been other factors at play. Between events like the exposed corruption of politicians like Masayoshi Shido and the break-out of a vigilante group known only as The Phantom Thieves, some individuals in the country’s court system were awakening to the unfairness of the judicial process. It also seemed that the influence of the mysterious thieves had left an impression on the public, including the spectators and reporters that were gathered in the courtroom.

It seemed, bit by bit, times really were changing.

As Yu gathered up all his papers and greased enough hands in the audience to make his fingers numb, he saw a familiar person lingering in the back row.

Unable to believe his eyes, Yu pushed through the reporters and onlookers until he was close enough for the identity of the individual to be unmistakable.

“Yosuke?”

Yu’s ever-faithful husband, Yosuke Hanamura, was seated in one of the back seats of the courtroom. His attire was more formal than some of the other guests, leading Yu to deduce that he’d made a special trip to the courthouse and hadn’t just stopped along his way while handling other errands.

He’d had no idea Yosuke had even been present and, apparently, had also taken off work to watch the proceeding unfold. Trials were open to the public, after all. However, with how much attention the case had gotten from the local media, he was still surprised Yosuke had managed to get inside the chamber.

Upon making eye contact, Yosuke stood up immediately and closed the distance between them. He placed a gentle hand on Yu’s shoulder and said, “Partner, you did it! You were amazing out there!”

“You were watching?” Yu asked, eyes wide as he stared back at him, mouth agape and eyes blinking. “It’s a total media circus out there. How did you…?”

Yosuke only smirked at him proudly. It was his classic ‘don’t worry about it’ smile, and Yu knew at that second Yosuke must have gotten at the courthouse bright and early. That meant that he’d literally been watching the trial for hours, not including the time it took for a brief recess around lunch.

“I even left my phone at home, because I wanted to make sure I could get in and see,” Yosuke admitted sheepishly. “I’ve never attended a trial before, so I pretty much only brought the essentials.  I’m sure it’s ringing off the hook. Before I left, everyone was texting me like crazy about how you were doing.”

Yu’s eyes crinkled in confusion.

“Wait, everyone?” Yu asked, still incredulous.

His evident disbelief only spurred Yosuke to squeeze his shoulder even more tenderly.

“Yeah, we were all cheering for you,” Yosuke admitted with a kindly smile. “Why do you sound so surprised? I know this case has been brutal for you, man. I’ve seen all the nights that you spent up late double-checking and triple-checking every little detail. Hell, even Dojima called me earlier this week. He told me, ‘Make sure Yu gets some sleep!’ and ‘I know he has a lot on his mind, so don’t slack off! You better help around the house.’”

Yu couldn’t help but laugh. Yosuke’s impression of his hard-boiled uncle was becoming more and more uncanny by the day. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but regardless, it was still surreal to know that so many people were rooting for him and thinking about during the entire process. For the past few weeks, he’d been so zoned in on the case that he’d completely blocked out the world around him.

While he’d known the entire time that he could depend on Yosuke as his rock of support to cling to during the turbulent sea that was the court case, it never really set in how much everyone truly believed in his abilities. It touched his heart to know that all his friends, even when dealing with their own responsibilities and busy lives, they still had time to think of him and the woman he was defending.

“You guys really believed in me the entire time?” Yu asked, faltering a bit before asking in a quieter voice, “What if…What if I’d failed?”

Yosuke shook his head. The poised smile never left his visage. “I knew you wouldn’t fail. Nobody thought you would.”

“…But if I had, you would have still been here,” Yu said, the realization slowly dawning on him of just how much his husband was prepared to support him, no matter what happened. “You would have still come running, and you would have supported me anyway.”

“Of course,” Yosuke said as his chestnut brow lofted. “Today was a big day. You’re up there defending this woman and her family, and even though everyone is cheering you on, I wanted to make sure you had someone in your corner. That’s what partners are for, yeah?”

The sheer amount of confidence Yosuke and his friends had in him almost brought wetness to his eyes. However, when he remembered he was still in public and needed to maintain a professional persona, he blinked away his happy tears grinned at his husband. “That…means a lot. Thank you, Yosuke.”

The topaz-eyed man laughed at the unnecessary appreciation but accepted it.

“Don’t thank me, you’re the one who just saved someone’s life,” Yosuke said fondly as he wrapped one arm around Yu and pulled him close to press a firm kiss on his cheek. “You won your case! I know how hard you’ve been working on this, and you totally did it. Seriously, partner, I’m so proud of you.”

His chest began to swell as Yu wrapped his free arm around Yosuke’s torso. He nodded into the embrace, too mentally exhausted and borderline emotional to move his lips to form the words ‘thank you.’

Yu didn’t want to pull away from the embrace, but knowing he still had some work to do, he begrudgingly removed himself from Yosuke’s warm touch. Before they separately completely, he bumped his forehead gently against Yosuke’s and whispered, “I have a few things to tie up. Can you wait for me a little longer?”

Yosuke rolled his eyes and placed another, more daring kiss on the tip of his nose. “I think I can manage. I don’t have my phone, but I’ll be waiting in the lobby for you.”

With one last squeeze, Yu turned back to the courtroom and began his short and infinitely more relaxed walk back to the bench.

The reality of the victory still hadn’t set in, but as he rejoined his client and brandished a handkerchief to help wipe her thankful tears, he was slowly starting to believe it.

* * *

After another hour of tying up all the loose ends and finishing up all the meetings and all the other elements of post-trial protocol he needed to fulfill, Yu was finally permitted to leave for the evening.

As he took the elevator down to the courthouse’s main lobby, he saw Yosuke was still waiting for him. Of course, he was making small talk with one of the nearby guards and the two appeared to be gabbing about something unusually humorous. It seemed, even in the most severe environment, people were drawn to Yosuke’s naturally sunny disposition and found it impossible to resist chatting with him. Not that Yu was in any position to talk.

He approached Yosuke from behind and placed a hand softly on the small of his back. When Yosuke turned to meet him, they both smiled into another chaste kiss that made the guard roll his eyes.

“Thank you for waiting,” Yu said sincerely. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Yosuke confirmed before looking back at the guard one last time. “Bye, Mr. Wakabayashi! Have a great weekend, okay?”

“Same to you, ya lovebirds,” the guard said with a baritone chuckle. He used his thumb to prop the heavy visor of his uniform’s cap up and over his heavily-lidded eyes. “Get outta here already, Yu. Take a break. And you. Hanamura, right? Watch ‘im, will ya? Make sure he doesn’t work ‘imself to death and sneak back in here. I’ll be watchin’.”

“Yes, sir!” Yosuke saluted playfully as he took Yu’s hand and led him outside the courthouse without hesitation.

The silver-eyed man felt his already broad smile widen even more as he clutched his husband’s hand and they exited the perilously tall stairs from the courthouse to continue along the neon-lit streets of Tokyo together.

Along the way, Yosuke still couldn’t get over how proud he was of Yu’s victory. “Seriously, man, did you see that CFO’s face when he marched out? Oh, he looked so pissed! It looked like a kid throwing a tantrum. You could tell he was _so_ embarrassed.”

While hearing about somehow improve Yu’s mood even more than before, he was unable to forgo the strict sense of humbleness he always harbored.

“It’s no big deal,” he admitted with a light flush. “I’m just happy that woman is going to be okay. I couldn’t just let her go to jail for what she did.”

Yosuke’s eyes shone with adoration as Yu continued to go on about how relieved he was that his client would be okay. Granted, the case had garnered quite a bit of attention and he knew that reporters would more than likely spend a few months following-up with her. However, she wasn’t going to have to spend time in jail.

She would recover and be okay, and he would do anything he could to help reassure that.

He could think about all that tomorrow. At that moment, all he wanted to think about was spending time with his amazing husband.

Thankfully, Yosuke seemed to be one step ahead of him in terms of kickstarting the well-deserved celebration.  

“Okay, to start things off, I’m buying us some drinks,” Yosuke said as he dramatically walked forward a few paces before turning around and popping two fingers guns at Yu, who was still carrying his briefcase and had folded his suit jacket over his arm. “Let me guess, two beers to start and then we forget about alcohol and just order the biggest dessert on the menu?”

Yu laughed heartily and he picked up the pace to catch up with his long-legged husband. “As usual, you know me really well, but I think our stomachs will boycott us if we don’t get some real food too.”

Yosuke pouted, but didn’t disagree. “Well, fine. You’re the ace lawyer, so I suppose I can trust your reasoning.”

The corner of Yu’s leather briefcase bumped against him bum playfully, which causing Yosuke to let out a yelp of mock-injury.

The two continued down the streets of Tokyo, hand-in-hand, to officially begin their weekend-long celebration that would most likely start with an incredibly high-calorie dessert before leading to an extended celebration afterward between the bedsheets in their master bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this fic! I’ll be back soon. Bye for now!


	26. Day 26: Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu is nervous about proposing to his boyfriend.

Yu knew that the engagement ring didn’t technically weigh much.

When he’d purchased the gold and topaz ring it in the store and felt the weight of the box in his hand, he’d felt the standard heaviness in his palm. The ring and its small velvet box didn’t weigh a pound more or less than usual

Now, as he waited for Yosuke’s arrival at the restaurant from work, the damned thing suddenly felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. It was as if a ship’s anchor was buried in the pocket of his suit.

He wasn’t sure why he was still so nervous. After all, Yu had planned his proposal for weeks. Multiple hours of precise planning and shopping had all led up to their next date together.

First, they were going to go to dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants in the city. Yosuke had mentioned wanting to eat there before because of how well-known the place was for its Western cuisine, and Yu had booked them a table over a month in advance and surprised Yosuke with the reservations the night prior after a particularly long session between the bedsheets. Yosuke took the news so well that he thanked him with another long, passionate kiss that spiraled into another bout of lovemaking so intense that even Yu had overslept for work the next day.

So, yeah…Yosuke had taken that part of the plan _exceptionally_ well.

After they finished eating, the next part of the plan was for them to saunter over to Tokyo Tower to check out the holiday lights. With how early the sun set in the winter months, it was easy to catch a glimpse of how the festive display decorated the entire city in a sea of stars, but without getting stuck in rush-hour tourist times.

Yu knew he didn’t want to propose in public. That simply wasn’t their type of gig, both as individuals and as a couple. Plus, the last thing he wanted to do was make Yosuke feel uncomfortable or pressured into agreeing to something he didn’t truly want.

Instead, he would wait until they’d walked to a quiet area where all the crowds had petered out. He thought that the nearby park’s fountain, where Yosuke sometimes played guitar on weekends, would work.

Then, when the moment felt right, he would finally pop the question.

It was just a four-word inquiry, but it felt like so much more. It was more than just a question. It was a confession. A confession of the highest degree. Dojima had even told him when he'd helped with some ring-shopping a few months prior the seemingly simple questions was the equivalent of asking someone to sit next to you on a bus for the rest life, riding out the rest of life together.

Yu had scoffed at the silly comparison at the time, but as the fated evening continued to drift closer, he'd suddenly realized how accurate the comparison was. At least, in theory.

While he’d told Yosuke about his true feelings of love long ago after they’d first started dating, a marriage proposal was different. It was a confession of powerful love and adoration that equated to asking the other question to spend the rest of their lives with them. It was a request for someone to become a lifelong partner in every aspect of life.

Yu was petrified and excited all at once. While his stoic face would never show such duality so candidly, both emotions were warring viciously inside of him for dominance.

Then, when he heard the sound of rushed footsteps and looked up to see Yosuke jogging toward him, everything else seemed to completely fade around him. He saw his boyfriend pay clumsily for the cab, thank the cranky driver, and then close the distance between them with a long-legged strut.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Yosuke floundered as he trotted anxiously to join Yu at the entrance of the restaurant. “I got held up at work. I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

Yu smiled gently and extended a hand to affectionally smooth his hair, which had apparently bristled in his rush to arrive on time between work and the restaurant.

“Relax,” Yu reassured with his usual calmness before brandishing his phone. “You’re early. See?”

The screen, which showed a picture of Yosuke snoozing beneath an especially large blanket on their apartment’s distinct houndstooth-printed couch, glowed with the time displayed at the top in a crisp digital font. The still had about fifteen minutes before they had to make their reservation.

While Yosuke noted the time with a great amount of relief, was less pleased by the photo of him the glowed annoyingly bright before his eyes.

“Dude, you _still_ have that as your wallpaper?” Yosuke groaned as he straightened his back, which had been slightly hunched over from exhaustion, and peered at Yu with tired eyes. “Okay, that settles it. We’re taking a better picture tonight where I actually _look nice_ , and you’re swapping that one out!”

“You always look nice,” Yu said, pouting in mock-sadness at his boyfriend’s display of disdain. Then again, Yu also didn’t reject Yosuke’s suggestion. After all, if everything went well, he hoped they would be taking plenty of pictures together later in the evening.

“Feel free to enact revenge by ordering anything you want,” Yu offered as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “My treat.”

He wasn’t sure what it was, but something about the statement caused his boyfriend to clearly pause. Yosuke leaned back and studied Yu for a moment as if evaluating him.

The lingering stare made Yu feel a sudden twinge of panic. He feared that, somehow or someway, he’d given something away or made his intentions for the evening far too obvious.

Even if he had been slick, Yosuke wasn’t dumb. Making reservations to a notoriously expensive restaurant seemingly out-of-the-blue with a serious romantic partner wasn’t exactly a casual activity. Such extravagance often boded as the precursor to a large event. They’d already confessed to each other, so the inspirations behind Yu’s motive were few and far between.

Hell, he wouldn’t have been surprised if Yosuke already suspected something.

Then again, Yu supposed if that was true, it was as much of a pro as it was a con.

If Yosuke was anticipating some kind of proposal, he wasn’t showing any unease. He wasn’t running for the hills or stuttering every other word, which is what Yu usually observed when his boyfriend was being squeezed too hard by the invisible tendrils of anxiety.

If Yosuke was suspicious of him, he wasn’t showing fear or apprehension. For Yu, it was a small but incredibly reassuring realization the vanquished the sudden flame of apprehension he’d felt flicker a little too hotly in his chest.

“Well, if you insist,” Yosuke finally said. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked broadly. “In that case, I’m ordering the biggest pizza they have here.”

Yu blinked in sheer amusement.

“Why pizza?” he asked curiously as he walked toward the gilded door and grabbed the handle. As he held the door open, Yosuke strolled through merrily before taking Yu’s hand and pulling him along.

“Because I've been craving it for days, man,” Yosuke said, tossing his partner a wink, “You made that pizza a few nights ago for dinner, and it was so good! I want to see how the 'best pizza in the city' compares! Then again, it probably won’t be as good as yours.”

Beside himself, Yu smiled at the compliment. “So, in a way, you’re testing a theory.”

“I know, I’m a workaholic,” Yosuke moaned in over-exaggerated exhaustion. He lifted an arm so the back of one of his hands could rest against his temple, mimicking an old-fashioned belle on the verge of collapse. “However, I shall step up in the name of science!”

Yu laughed this time, not bothering to ever try and stifle the obvious display of mirth.

“You know what?” Yu said, giving him a challenging stare. “Go for it.”

As they walked through the restaurant doors, Yu’s hand slowly moved down Yosuke’s spine to rest on the small of his back. As he guided him through the door, the little touch elicited a flickering stare for Yosuke. Their eyes reconnected for only a second before they leaned in and shared a chaste kiss under against the glow of candlelight.

“Are you ready?” Yosuke asked with a confident, borderline cocky smile.

“…Ready as I’ll ever be,” Yu nodded firmly.

A nondescript emotion leaped between them like an arc of electric energy.

Without the need for words to communicate the bond they felt deep in their hearts, they interlaced their fingers and continued forward into the rest of the evening, and a lovely future, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in addition to coffee and beaches, guys…I really love pizza. It’s my favorite self-insert OTP. 
> 
> Again, this is kind of….sort of a sneak peek for a longer, three-part fic that will be coming in the future about Yu and Yosuke’s proposal, wedding and honeymoon. This was the third and final peek. It was short, but I hope it was enjoyable!  
> Thank you guys so much for taking time out of your busy days to read my content all the way to the end! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.


	27. Day 27: A Meal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke share a sundae at Inaba's newest ice cream parlor. Little does Yosuke know, Yu has ulterior motives.

“Hey, partner. What the hell are you doing?”

Yosuke watched with fiery orange eyes as his infamously suave boyfriend, Yu Narukami, sank a spoon into a full-bodied swirl of vanilla ice cream. He lifted the spiral of sweetness to his mouth and closed his lips around it slowly. The act left a small smear of white cream on Yu’s lips that caused Yosuke to blush a shade of deep-red that matched the cherries atop the dessert. 

After swallowing, Yu flicked his mischievous gaze back to Yosuke, who was sitting across the table from him in a bubblegum pink dining booth.

“What do you mean?” Yu asked teasingly. His tongue darted from between his lips to lick away the smear from his lip. The action made Yosuke’s body bristle visibly.

He paused only briefly before gazing back at him nonchalantly. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

Before Yosuke could reply, he daintily grabbed a charry from atop the dessert and sucked the fruit between his teeth, plucking the stem away with a succulent pop. 

Yosuke had to bite the inside of his cheek to contain his squeak of embarrassment.

“You know _exactly_ what I mean,” he asserted between clenched teeth.

Although he wanted to respond appropriately to his boyfriend’s very public teasing, he didn’t exactly want to attract the attention of everyone in Inaba’s newest ice cream shop. The place might have been new and sparkling clean, but it was also incredibly small. It made sense since the establishment had opened in a vacant space between two stores in the town’s very small shopping district. One raised octave would have everyone’s gazes careening in their direction.

It wasn’t so much Yu’s proximity that bothered Yosuke. Quite the opposite.

It was the presence of everyone else in the ice cream parlor that was making him feel more tense than usual. Not to mention, Yu’s completely unabashed flirting was hardly helping the awkwardness Yosuke felt.

It wasn’t like they were in the Junes food court where they could talk and flirt comfortably thanks to the bustling crowd essentially muting their voices amongst the sea of shoppers. The small and cramped ice cream parlor was a much more intimate setting than their usual rendezvous locations.

The pastel-colored booths and tables were barely a few feet from each other. At least two individuals were also seated at each one, munching on cold treats to try and fend off Inaba’s brutal summer temperatures.

The heat was what had driven the new couple to try the ice cream spot in the first place. It seemed, judging by how packed the small parlor was, that the couple hadn’t been alone in their line of thinking. The two had decided to pop into the building after taking a long, summer walk along the riverbank together.

They had played around in the water to cool down, but even the tranquil flow of the local stream wasn’t enough the eliminate the discomfort of the mid-summer sun boiling overhead.

Yu was the one that had suggested heading indoors to beat the heat. Even though Yosuke knew everywhere would be terribly crowded, apart from their own houses, he ultimately conceded. Yu suggested they grab some ice cream at the new parlor that just opened.

Just as Yosuke feared, with bursting with people. Thank goodness he had his headphones and Yu’s company, at least.

As if sensing Yosuke’s discomfort, Yu innocently asked if his boyfriend would want to share something with him instead of trying to navigate the imposingly huge menu in such a cramped space.

At first, sharing a sundae with Yu had sounded like an innocent enough idea. While the prospect initially made his stomach flutter in anxiety and giddiness, he quickly decided to push past it. He’d agreed enthusiastically, thinking that it would be a good way to enjoy a luxurious dessert without spending a ton of money and without overfilling his belly to the point of discomfort.

That had been the plan.

What he hadn’t anticipated was Yu seizing the opportunity as a way to flirt with him in the most shameless way possible.

Watching his best friend slowly eat every spoonful of soft serve and whipped cream was almost maddening. It was difficult to not notice that the way his tongue moved along his velvet lips, which were slightly pinker toward the inside of his mouth. It was impossible to ignore the soft moans of delight when Yu swallowed each bite.

Each sound and sight had Yosuke sweating as if he was still sitting outside in the scalding heat.

“Dammit, you know what I mean,” Yosuke barely managed to croak out. He tried and failed to keep his voice steady and not stammer.

His palpable embarrassment didn’t go unnoticed by Yu, who slowly shifted his silver gaze to refocus Yosuke's flustered face. While Yu's own expression remained classically indifferent, his eyes sparkled with hidden excitement.

Yu was the only person Yosuke knew that could smile with just their eyes. It drove him crazy.

“No, I’m absolutely serious, I have _no clue_ what you mean,” Yu replied to Yosuke’s assertion, dodging the accusation as gracefully as a bullfighter. While Yu was good at putting on an innocent façade on the surface, Yosuke knew his partner better than anyone else. The shadow of an impish smile on Yu’s face told Yosuke everything he needed to know.

“You are such a liar,” Yosuke seethed through grinding teeth. He drummed his fingers on the counter to vent the funny feeling that was growing in his chest.

Another lump of sweetly flavored ice-cream vanished down Yu’s throat.

“Yosuke, I sense some hostility,” Yu replied in his usual deadpan tone.

“You’re _damn right_ you sense some hostility,” Yosuke said, his blushing cheeks making his freckles more pronounced than usual. “Dude, we’re in public! Can you…I don’t know, tone it down?”

“Why?” Yu asked, now focusing on stealing a spoonful of strawberry ice cream from the opposite side of the sundae.

Yosuke used his own utensil to deflect his boyfriend’s spoon and stop him for taking another leisurely bite. Yu blinked his silver eyes before glancing back to Yosuke. Upon closer reexamination, his usually caramel-colored eyes were glowing as vibrantly orange as firelight. The sight made Yu’ grins noticeably broaden.

Deep in his chest, he thought he also felt Izanagi’s energy throb with equal delight.

“What’s wrong?” the silver-eyes teen asked with a slight amount of lilt in his voice. Yosuke successfully fenced the spoon away from the treat, and Yu made a drawn-out sound of mock-realization. “Ooooh, I get it. You want me to feed you, right?”

“Hell no!” he said. Then, he fidgeted in his seat and looked away. Equal parts trepidation and excitement dueled for dominance in his gut. “Well, I mean, you know. Not _here_.”

“You’d let me feed you in private?” Yu asked coyly, tapping the length of his metal spoon against the glass container. He added with a low voice, “Very interesting.”

A shiver crept up Yosuke’s spin. It wasn’t from the ice cream.

 _“Partner,”_ Yosuke groaned under his breath. He clenched his hands hard enough to turn his knuckles white. “Come on already.”

“Beg me first, Yosuke.”

That was it.

Yosuke dipped the silver spoon into the ice cream and pushed a large, heavily whipped spoonful between Yu’s lips. The act was quite effective at temporarily silencing Yu’s flirting.

“If this is the only way to silence you, so be it,” Yosuke added with a smirk.

Yu barely managed to swallow the large, cold lump before looking at Yosuke with a sharpened silver gaze. After clearing his throat with a few stern coughs, he whispered in a slightly shivery voice, “That was rude. What if I’d choked?”

“Then I would have given you mouth-to-mouth,” Yosuke replied simply, taking a spoonful of the treat and tasting it. The flavor was mellow but sweet, but not near as satisfying as the taste of victory he sampled while looking at Yu’s slightly pinched face.

Then, less than a second later, Yosuke succumbed to guilt and let out an apologetic chuckle in response to Yu’s warranted pouting. Shoving food down someone’s throat was not a proper response to moderately rowdy, albeit innocent, philandering.

“Sorry, I guess…I’m no good at this flirting stuff,” Yosuke admitted. “It’s all still new to me.”

Thanks to the scoop of ice cream he’d devoured seconds prior, a colorful sprinkle lingered in the corner of his mouth. At this, Yu’s frown vanished instantly. He didn’t waste a second leaning in and kissing the small candy away.

The blending of temperatures from the freezing ice cream to the addictive warmth of Yu’s lips made Yosuke’s head swim in delight. All his anxiety and feelings of doubt were temporarily blotted out and replaced with nothing by sheer pleasure.

“Well, if that’s the case, I suppose I can forgive you,” Yu whispered, making sure his lips brushed the shell of Yosuke’s ear before pulling away with deliberate slowness.

“Yeah?” Yosuke asked, his smile gentle as he stared at Yu from across the table.

“You’re the one who keeps distracting us with all your flirting,” Yu said as he took another large spoonful between his lips.

 _"You liar,"_  Yosuke retorted, red reddening again as he saw his tongue caress a spot of cream on his lower lip. “Ugh. Damn you, Yu…”

This time, Yu was the one to flush bright pink. Yosuke hardly ever used his first name, but when he did, it always had a strange effect on him. Even more so, when he saw the flush on Yosuke’s cheeks and the fiery warmth in his eyes, the concept of downing another spoonful of chilly ice cream was the last thing on his mind.

It seemed they were going to have to finish to finish their sundae faster than expected.

“…Yosuke, you should start eating,” Yu said with another saccharine smile. As usual, Yosuke’s pleas for mercy were ignored. “It’s going to melt soon if you don’t.”

Yosuke offered his partner a sudden, understanding glance as he reached for his discarded utensil.

“Yeah?” Yosuke grumbled, rolling his eyes as he sank his spoon down next to Yu’s and began to swirl together another spoonful of the quickly disappearing cream and candy mixture. "That's a sudden change in tone. I guess I need to pick up the pace a bit, huh? We don't want the ice cream to melt, after all."

"It would be truly tragic," Yu confirmed with a wolfish grin.

With newfound closeness, the two continue to share slow bites of ice cream until the towering sundae had been completely depleted. Still not satiated, the two left a generous tip and before deciding to race on home and slink into one of the bedrooms to enjoy a second and more private round of dessert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A really clever writer would totally make the sundae symbolic for something.
> 
> With me, it’s just because I liked the idea of eating ice cream, haha! I‘m actually not an ice cream fan, but I adore the trope of two characters sharing a sundae. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this fic!
> 
> I promise I’m going to finish Souyowrimo lol. Thank you, guys, for sticking with me through everything. Bye for now!


	28. Day 28: Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu spends a little extra time comforting Yosuke after they defeat his Shadow.

A heavy sigh plumed from Yu's lips. The sound was a blend of equal parts exhaustion and unbridled relief that the arduous battle he'd fought had finally come to a conclusion.

After his new Persona summoned one last bolt of lightning from the heavens above, the four-legged creature finally succumbed to its weakness and collapsed. Second’s later, the monster’s towering form turned into a shadowy inkling of its former self.

Then, after dissolving into think tendrils of smoke, all that remained was the limp and yellow-eyed body of the Shadow’s owner. The figure was managing to stay upright but still looked vastly weaker than before. His hazy outline was bent at the waist slightly, shoulders lopsided with one of his hands gripping his stomach as if he was in a fit of pain.

For that, Yu couldn’t blame the Shadow. Although he’d ultimately been victorious, the enemy before him had been the strongest opponent he’d ever fought. Once more, he'd gone through the entire battle completely solo without any physical assistance from anyone else. All he had to rely on was Teddie's advice which, while helpful, didn't dull the pain of critical attacks nearly as much as Yu would have liked.

In fact, the teen had barely managed a win at all. No doubt his muscles would be aching with regret in due time, but at that moment, too much adrenaline was still pumping through his veins for him to even register the post-battle pain.

The figure was also unusually silent, staring ahead at Yu with wide, unblinking eyes that glowed with unsettling brightness against the dark TV World around them.

Just a few feet away, his classmate was slowly beginning to regain consciousness. The Shadow’s owner, Yosuke Hanamura, was finally reawakening from his fainting spell. As he rose up from the ground, he croaked out in a raspy whisper, “What…the hell…?”

Yu and Teddie watched from afar, making sure to give the young man plenty of distance and he lumbered back onto his feet to gather his bearings. Just at it looked like Yosuke was steady on his feet again, he cast his tired eyes across the battlefield to refocus on the uncanny, mirror image before him.

Confusion twisted into indignation as he stared back at the monster that shared his face.

“…You’re not me,” Yosuke repeated, his anger still relentless as he glared at his yellow-eyed twin.

“That thing came from you,” Teddie prompted with a gentle voice.

“Screw that!” he hissed. The harsh tone caused Teddie to wince away and fearfully seek shelter behind one of Yu’s legs. “I don’t care. This thing is…it’s…”

Yu saw another internal battle ranging inside Yosuke’s mind. Although he didn’t know the teen too well, he could see the distress he felt quickly beginning to simmer beneath the surface again. Before his emotions could boil over again, Yu decided to step in and put an end to Yosuke’s self-doubt once and for all.

“You’re still you,” Yu said, disrupting Yosuke’s stuttering with his smooth, confident declaration.

“Huh?” he asked, blinking his glossy eyes as he turned to face his new classmate.

When their eyes met, Yu smiled reassuringly at the surprised expression. The feelings he felt must have been truly malignant to render such a simple statement so confusing to him.

“This girl, Saki, did you like her?” Yu asked again. His tone was kind and understanding, unlike the deep baritone he’d used on the battlefield mere moments before.

It only took the teen a few seconds to nod his head in reply. “Yeah. I did. I think…I think I really loved her.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” Yu said plainly. “Even if some part of you really did want nothing but excitement, the fact that you still loved her means something. You’re more than your dark feelings, Yosuke. I can see that.”

“Narukami…”

Yosuke gaped at him with a wide-eyed expression that Yu couldn’t immediately pinpoint. The visage seemed to be a cross between astonishment and, perhaps, adoration. Suddenly, the chestnut-haired teen’s spine uncurled from its defensive hunch and his shoulders squared with confidence that hadn’t been present before.

It seemed he was getting somewhere with his words. Yu decided to press on.

“This Shadow is only one part of you,” Yu continued. “The fact that you want to lock those emotions away is proof enough that you resent them. Even so, you shouldn’t resent your whole self just because of that. Accept yourself for who you are.”

When he spied a flicker of hesitation on Yosuke’s warm eyes, Yu countered again with his own sentiment. “You’re a good guy, Yosuke. Even though I saw your Shadow, you don’t see me leaving, right?”

Yu had accepted Yosuke, Shadowy confessions and all. He hadn’t run for the hills or reeled at the sight of his classmate’s uglier emotions. Instead, he’d stayed and fought them down with his own heart’s strength.

With that, Yosuke finally seemed convinced.

With newfound resolve, Yosuke inhaled deeply and trudged across the battlefield to greet his eerie twin. Along the way, he held his head high as he inched past the illusionary remnants of Konishi Liquor. He stepped over the shattered bottles and ignored the flapping of the store’s tattered banners as he drew closer and closer to the Shadow.

“Listen, it’s true that I thought it might be exciting to come here,” Yosuke confessed to his darker self. Although his head hung slightly from embarrassment, his stammer had vanished as he spoke in a firm voice. “I thought that maybe my life would be worth something if I could find some kind of opportunity in this small town. I thought that I could make myself feel better, and then maybe everyone in his town wouldn’t hate me so much.”

Yu cocked his head curiously at those last words. Apparently, the statement had also caught Teddie’s attention. Despite the lack of context, the large mascot looked just as stunned as Yu was by the admission. 

The two exchanged a worried glance as Yosuke continued to confide in his Shadow.

“None of that shit matters though, because I realize it now,” he added with a sigh. “You really are a part of me.”

The look of sorrow vanished from the Shadow’s face quickly. With a soft smile, the entity closed its eyes and bowed his head as if it was falling asleep. Then, the entity’s body began to physically shift and morph. With a pulsating explosion of light, Yosuke was no longer staring back at a mirror image of his darker self, but rather a long-limbed being dressed in white leather and a billowing, red scarf. It looked like a more elegant and refined version of the entity his negative thoughts had amassed earlier.

The newly-formed Persona, named Jiraiya, was bestowed upon Yosuke in the form of a swirling tarot card that seemed to float down magically into his overturned hand. The ceremony bathed Yosuke’s entire body in a glow of blue light.

The mysterious energy intimately sank into Yosuke’s chest without inhibition.

As Yu and Teddie looked onward, his silver-eyes were hypnotized by the momentous occasion. He watched the act with fondness he hadn’t even felt for his own awakening.

While the silver-haired teen still had a million unanswered questions swirling around in his head like shrapnel in a hurricane, they all seemed to fade into the back of his mind as he watched his classmate finally accept his true feelings.

Yu realized at that moment that he could use his powers to help others in need. As he thought about having helped Yosuke rise from the abyss of loneliness that had threatened to snatch him away, Yu felt a surge of happiness rush through.

_“So that’s…the true power of a Persona.”_

* * *

 With Teddie’s assistance, the two managed to make their way back to the real world without engaging in any other battles on their way back.

Thankfully, because it was close to closing time in the Junes department, none of the shoppers bore witness to the duo’s less-than-graceful exit.

As their bodies flailed from the television and roared down the aisle, the back of Yu’s head smashed into one of the shelves one while Yosuke tumbled down the aisle and landed upside down with his ass in the air.

“Ouch…” Yu groaned deeply. His body was starting to protest all the abuse it had undergone by creaking painfully with every movement. Now, a sharp throbbing sensation on the back of his head to the long list of aches and pains he felt.

“Ugh, this whole day has been so damn embarrassing,” Yosuke croaked as he unpeeled his body from the store’s linoleum floor. After gathering his bearings, he instantly turned around and offered Yu a hand. “You okay, dude?”

“Y-Yeah…” Yu sighed, accepting the hand and hauling himself upright with a gasp. “I’m pretty spent though.”

“Hell yeah, you look beat,” Yosuke agreed as his eyes scanned Yu from head to toe. “Go home and get some rest tonight.”

“I plan on it,” Yu said, trying to crack out one of the stiff kinks that had formed in his back. “I just wish we didn’t have school tomorrow. I know I’m going to be sore.”

“Ugh, I hear you,” Yosuke moaned as his face dropped to his chest dramatically. “It’s totally going to suck.”

Despite their multiple attempts at initiating small talk, it was all in vain. It was simply impossible for them to force casualness after what they’d just survived together.

Surprisingly, Yosuke was the one to break the ice and speak up first.

“Hey, thanks a lot, dude,” Yosuke said quietly. His shoulders were still hunched forward and his arms were still fastened in a defensive cross in front of his chest, but he was smiling. That was good, at the very least.

“Do you want me to walk you home?” Yu asked, shreds of concern slipping through his serious tone.

“Nah, you don’t have to do that,” Yosuke laughed as he shook his head. “But…we should meet up tomorrow morning, yeah? I think we have a lot to talk about.”

Yu couldn’t agree more. “Alright. Be careful on your way home though.”

“Right back at you,” Yosuke chuckled as he extended an appreciative hand toward Yu. It was a silent gesture, but Yu had no issue deciphering its meaning.

Even though Yosuke was still visibly troubled by the death of someone he loved, his smile and explicit gratitude were evidence that he was trying to stay optimistic and move on. For her sake…and also his own.

“Narukami, you seriously saved my life today,” Yosuke whispered below the chatter of the customers that lingered a couple aisles away. “I owe you.”

Yu grinned despite his exhaustion. “I’m just glad I could help.”

The two shared a brief but firm handshake in the store’s technology department. Then, as the store’s public announcement system chimed with a warning that the store would be closing soon, Yosuke gestured for Yu to follow him. Trying to act casual and hide their searing pain with indifferent expressions, the two made their way out of the store together.

Along the way, Yosuke openly ignored the curious stares from his coworkers and even some more insistent questions from two rather rambunctious female employees that seemed to be overly familiar with verbally assailing him.

Again, Yu’s brow furrowed in concern, but he didn’t vocalize anything openly. He figured it wasn’t his place. Not unless they became better friends, that is.

Yu walked beside him until the automatic doors squeaked to a close behind them and they were outside. A warm, spring breeze coasted over their bodies, serving as a reminder that they really were back in Inaba. It also further cemented the realization that the horrors they’d faced weren’t merely the result of a nightmare.

It had all been a reality.

“See you tomorrow,” Yosuke said warmly. He waved an arm weakly over his head as he went to unlock his bike from the rack near the door.

Yu nodded and waved back. “See you.”

As both teens turned to part ways and head home in the respective directions, Yu cast one last glance over his shoulder to watch the teen’s slightly skinny form vanished over the horizon line.

Yosuke was right. Tomorrow, the two would have a ton to talk about. There was still so much about the TV World, Teddie, and even Shadows that was all still a mystery to him. In countless ways, it was terrifying. There was no telling what fate had in store for the rest of his stay in the supposedly sleepy town of Inaba.

Yu was just glad about one thing.

At least, if Yosuke was by his side, he didn’t have to go through it all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’M SO SORRY. I’m so slow at writing (and super busy in real-life too).
> 
> If anyone here is still reading these updates, thank you so much for sticking around while I flail closer to the finish line. The marathon might have ended, but I’m determined to finish.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading! I love all of you very much, and I’m always sending virtual hugs and kisses your way. Bye for now!


	29. Day 29: Arts and Crafts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke do some crafts with their son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akira’s name is a reference to the P5 protag, Akira Kurusu. The name is just a for-fun reference because obviously the P5 protag doesn’t have very caring parents, and I strongly headcanon without debate Yu and Yosuke would be amazing dads. 
> 
> Enjoy the fic!

A dark-haired boy of about five years of age hummed with intense focus as he guided a large sticker into the perfect position on his latest artistic creation. His fingers, dusted with glitter and slightly tacky from the paper’s adhesive, fiddled hesitantly with the decoration.

“Take your time, Akira,” Yu said with a light laugh as he watched his son methodically try to decide the final destination of an extra-large, shimmery sticker.

“I wanna put it in the right spot,” the little boy mused thoughtfully as he hovered the tiny decal over a variety of different spots. Seconds later, he heaved a lough sigh of indecision. “It’s hard.”

“It’s a big choice,” Yu said, nodding in agreement. “There’s no rush.”

The father and son were seated snugly at a kotatsu in the middle of their family’s apartment. Across the tabletop were craft supplies galore, including half-used tubes of glitter glue and spools of partially-unwound ribbon. The scattered supplies all cumulated to a large pile right in the center of the table where, right in the middle of the rainbow chaos, was a small box made of cardboard. The small box has two hinges and a basic, copper-colored latch that was so flimsy that it rattled each time the box was jostled. The two had picked the box, and the various other supplies, up at a craft store earlier in the day when Yu walked Akira back from school.

Upon popping in the small store to pick out the supplies for Akira’s project, he’d originally pointed out a wooden box as his first choice. However, the last one in stock at the store was so cheaply constructed that Yu swore he had splinters in his fingers after picking it up once. The two then decided on the cardboard box, which was much less sturdy but infinitely more pleasant to hold.

The latter was extra important since Akira was making the box not for himself, but as a gift for someone else. As a result, the young boy was taking the decorating provisions even more seriously than he usually would have.

“What if the sticker comes off?” the boy asked, furrowing his brow as one of the glittery ones clung stubbornly to his thumb. With a chuckle, Yu pulled the sticker off with a gentle pluck and placed it upside down again in Akira’s small palm.

“If they come off, just put them back on again,” Yu said with a grin.

“Hehe, thanks dad,” Akira laughed as he went for another sheet of rainbow-colored stickers. He’d picked them out specifically for the gift recipient. “Do you think Auntie Yuki will like it?”

“Of course,” Yu said with a chuckle. “She’ll absolutely love it. I guarantee it.”

“Really?” he asked, cheeks blooming bright pink as he let out a mirthful giggle. “Yay! That makes me happy.”

Just as Akira was about to finally pick a spot of the large sticker, the unlatching of the front door’s lock from a few feet away stirred him from his bout of artistic focus. He was up from the kotatsu almost immediately. His socked feet thumped awkwardly as he trotted toward the front door with outstretched arms.

“Oh, daddy’s home!” he said, voice as merry and bright as the holiday-lit Tokyo skyline that lingered just outside their apartment’s balcony doors.

Yu sat back and watched fondly as his son ran to the door just in time to stand before it expectantly as a familiar, shaggy-haired figure emerged from behind the apartment door.

As soon as Yosuke’s head poked through the door, he looked down to see his son’s face beaming up at him.

After one year of the routine since adopting their young son, Yosuke had learned to open the door slowly and fully expect to see the goofy grin as the first thing to greet him upon wearily returning home from work. He couldn’t have traded the sight for anything in the world.

“Hey there, Aki!” Yosuke said, bending down to lift his son into the air. The two twirled in a few circles before Yosuke safely put the young boy back on the ground.

“How was work, daddy?” Akira asked as his feet reconnected with solid ground.

“Eh, same old boring stuff,” Yosuke griped as he attempted to stretch a knot out of his neck. “Nothing nearly as exciting as…um, wow, whatever you two are up to.”

Yosuke glanced across the living room to the orange and gray patterned kotatsu where Yu was still seated. There, reflected in the sunlight from their patio doors, were multiple piles of discarded craft supplies, used painting tools, and sticker sheets. Every type of craft supply imaginable was strewn across the otherwise spotless hardwood floor. It reminded Yosuke of when he’d had to supervise some of the occasional kids’ promotional events at Inaba’s local Junes department store in high school. It always looked like a storm had hit after the room cleared out.

“Yikes,” he laughed, offered his husband a curious look as he went to slip off his shoes and pull on his slippers before proceeding into the mess. “What happened here? Aki, has your dad been getting into trouble?”

“We both have,” Yu offered with a casual wink as he continued to lean against the table.

“Dad and I have been doing arts and crafts stuff,” Akira said with a nod. “He even helped me paint something! I chose the color, but dad said the paint was…tock-shik—”

“Toxic,” Yu chimed in with a helpful whisper.

“—Yeah, toxic!” Akira said, still not understanding the implications of the word, but happy to have the pronunciation down. “Which is bad! So, dad painted it and I got to pick out all the decorations.”

“I see,” the chestnut-haired man said with a nod of the head. “So, I’m dying of suspense. What is ‘it’?

“Dad’s showing me how to make....a jewelry box!” Akira answered, adding an extra delay of a couple second to enhance the drama of the grand reveal. “It’s for Auntie Yuki’s birthday!”

‘Auntie Yuki’ was Akira’s affectionate name for Yukiko Amagi, who was one of many people who had been a best friend of both his parents since high school. Upon meeting his parents for the first time and spending weeks receiving visitors that were excited to meet him, she was someone he’d instantly committed to memory because of the funny way she laughed and how strikingly pretty she was. Akira became a fast fan of both Yukiko and her wife, Chie Satonaka, and spent a lot of time with the two. The couple’s house in Inaba also served as Akira’s home-away-from-home when Yu and Yosuke both had to leave town on business trips or works overnight shifts.

Yosuke worked as a business manager for a public relations firm that had notable names like Junes on its client list, and Yu was rising in the ranks as a public defender in courtrooms across the city. Both men tried to come home as often as they could, but in the interim, Yukiko was always on standby to be a caregiver while Chie worked long shifts as a police officer.

Yosuke wasn’t only impressed by his son’s artistic abilities, but also the foresight the young boy had to make a handmade gift for their close friend. It would have been impressive enough if he’d thought to make a homemade gift for someone in his own class, let alone a grown adult. It was a true testament to the boy’s maturity.

Yu and Yosuke couldn’t help exchanging prideful glances. Perhaps they were both biased about their child's idea, but that didn't dissuade their pride by an ounce.

“Is that so?” Yosuke asked with a wide grin. Yu nodded and produced the bright red, glittery box that they’d been decorating for the past few hours. The small box was about five inches wide and decorated with red paint and glitter. In addition to multiple stickers dotted across the box’s surface, the top was garnished with a smooth, opalescent gem that was pearly in appearance. It was undoubtedly Yukiko’s aesthetic.

“I may have painted it, but Akira did everything else,” Yu clarified. “He decorated it all by himself and chose all the colors and decorations. It’s quite pretty, isn’t it?”

Yosuke couldn’t nod fast enough. “Woah! You make this, Aki? Seriously?”

The little boy nodded, his fingers playing with the hem of his shirt nervously as his dads examined his handiwork.

“It’s red because Auntie Yuki likes red,” Akira explained with all the gusto of an artist explaining an abstract painting to a critic. “I added lots of jewels too! Oh, and stickers that look like rainbows.”

“Woah, that’s awesome,” Yosuke said, reaching over to ruffle his son’s hair and placing a kiss on his brow. “She’s totally going to love it! Way to go.”

“Really?” Akira asked as he struggled into his dad’s embrace. “I hope so!”

Yu nodded in agreement as he put the box safely back on the table. “We’ll have to make sure we wrap it as soon as you’re done decorating.”

“Oh, yeah!” Akira said cheerfully as he looked at Yosuke merrily. “Dad helped me pick up wrapping paper too! It’s pink and has cherry blossoms on it.”

Less than a second later, Akira leapt up and mad a beeline out of the living room and to his parents' bedroom, where Yu had put the wrapping supplies they’d bought earlier in the day.

“What about your last sticker?” Yu called after him curiously as the young by vanished down the hall to retrieve the wrapping paper they’d bought earlier in the day. The sound of his footsteps was following by the creak of a door and the district rustling of hangers and paper. Judging by the sound of the chaos, Yu would most likely have to reorganize things before bed.

“I changed my mind,” Akira hollered from down the hall. “I like it the way it is. I wanna wrap it now!”

Yu chuckled in response to his son’s sudden mood swing. “Bring everything out here and I’ll help you, okay?”

“Okay!”

While Akira fetched the wrapping supplies, Yosuke sat down next to Yu at the kotatsu and allowed his head to fall limply against his chest in exhaustion.

“Leave it to Aki to have the _best gift idea_ ,” Yosuke groaned in over-dramatic defeat, making sure to annunciate the words extra-loudly so his son could hear them from all the way on the other side of their apartment.

As Akira laughed triumphantly from a few rooms over, Yu offered his husband a sympathetic glance.

“I’m sorry our son is a better gift-giver than you,” Yu remarked smartly.

“You are totally not,” Yosuke said, opening one eye to stare at him incredulously. As expected, Yu’s wide smirk verified his suspicions.

After only a few seconds of staring, the fake tension between them faded as both of them dissolved into fits of laughter.

Then, delicately, Yu extended one of his arms to smooth some of Yosuke’s brown locks out of his eyes. As expected, he looked absolutely exhausted.

“Rough day at work?” Yu asked softly as she rubbed consoling circles into Yosuke’s shoulder. The gesture drew a light laugh as Yosuke swiveled his head to Yu’s hand. There, he placed a soft kiss on his partner’s extended wrist.

“It…wasn’t greatest day in the world,” he admitted with a shy smile. “…But, honestly, I feel a million times better now. Seeing you and Akira though, man, there’s no shitty day that can’t cure.”

“Yeah?” Yu asked, silver eyes glinting in the late-afternoon like from the sunset outside the back doors during the apartment. “Well, I think an extra-special dinner tonight is in order.”

“Oh?” Yosuke asked, immediately intrigued. Yu nodded and opened his arm to provide enough space for Yosuke could crawl into his lap. The chestnut-haired man happy obliged and didn’t waste a second scooting off his seat and between the legs of his husband, who drew him into a comforting hug. Yu lifted his head in order to rest his chin atop Yosuke’s slightly disheveled head, and almost instantly, the tension he’d felt echoed through his husband’s body began to ebb.

Their forms began to sink into each other, as if their forms were carved together from one form and embedded together.

“After all, we have to be at the train station early tomorrow morning,” Yu reminded him gently. “We’re going to need to get to bed early if we want to get up in time to meet the train. A full belly should help with that.”

If all went well, the trio would be in Inaba by the late afternoon the next day in order to join Chie, along with Kanji, Naoto, and Rise for Yukiko’s grand surprise party. No doubt Teddie would also be attendance, since he was still back in Inaba helping at Junes and keeping Nanako company.

“Damn, that three-hour train ride never gets easier,” Yosuke laughed dryly. “It’s gonna be effin’ brutal, but it’ll totally be worth it though. Yukiko is going to be so excited! Chie just texted me at lunch today, and Yukiko has no idea about the party.”

“I’m not surprised,” Yu added coolly. When Yosuke responded to the seemingly rude comment with a wide-eyed stare, Yu elaborated promptly. “I don’t mean it like that. Yukiko is incredibly smart, but she can be a little dense when it comes to things like this. Remember when guys used to ask her out and she’d forget about it by the next time she saw them?”

“…For some reason, I feel like that’s a joke at my expense,” Yosuke groaned as he continued to recline comfortably against Yu’s soft, sweater-covered torso.

“Never,” Yu laughed heartily, crossing his arms across Yosuke’s chest and rubbing his hands up the shapely forms of his biceps, still covered by his slightly-oversized work shirt. He’d have to fix that later in the evening after they put Akira to bed.

“I know Akira’s excited for the visit though,” Yosuke chimed in with a laugh. He lifted his head so he was looking up at Yu’s upside-down face from his position folded in Yu’s lap. “Dude, remember when Yukiko heard Akira call her ‘auntie’ for the first time?”

The mere mention of the memory made it unfold in his head instantaneously.

“I remember her crying a lot,” Yu responded slowly, eyes lifting toward the ceiling as he recalled the teary occasion. “Hmmm. I believe it was for…two hours?”

“At least,” Yosuke added. “Chie said she didn’t stop smiling for weeks after that. Seriously, if Aki calling her ‘auntie’ had that effect, imagine what a homemade gift is gonna do? Should we be more worried?”

“We’ll have to bring extra buckets,” Yu added, and Yosuke playfully slapped him in response.

Yosuke was still quite snug and comfortable in Yu’s lap when Akira returned from the hall bearing the large scroll of bright pink wrapping paper. Almost immediately, his interest was piqued by the sight of both of his parents huddled together so tightly and, more importantly, in a different position than they’d been in before when he left the room.

“Daddy, Dad, what are do doing?” Akira asked curiously as he sauntered over to the table to carefully put down the large roll of paper and a plastic tape dispenser.

When Yu felt Yosuke fidget in his lap, he cast a silver glance downward just in time to see the brief flicker of a mischievous smirk appear across Yosuke’s face. Before he had the opportunity to react, Yosuke looked back to Akira and began to flail his arms dramatically.

“Help me, Aki!” Yosuke called in a wavering falsetto. “Dad is holding me hostage!”

“What?!” Akira asked, his mouth forming a stunned ‘O’ shape as he instantly sprang into action. “No fair! I’ll save you, Daddy!”

The little boy jogged toward his parents and, with a mighty battle cry, he jumped onto Yosuke’s lap. The additional thump of force threw off Yu’s balance and sent him whirling backward. The two adults laughed loudly as their son wriggled his way between them, separating their embrace with a semi-jealous pout.

It took the trio longer than usual to make dinner and get to bed, mostly because they spent an extra twenty minutes rolling on the floor and pelting each other with pillows and cushions from the nearby sofa and chair. Unfortunately, the all-out-attack also inspired Akira to grab a large container of glitter and hurl it into the fray.

With each family member drenched in confetti that made them sparkle like an Inaba night sky, the three finally laughed themselves into exhaustion. Resigned to a long night of cleaning and the realization that they would need a few extra cups of coffee the next morning to survive from the inevitable lack of sleep, the two men shared warm smiles as they hoisted their sleepy son up from the living room floor to give him a bath, clean, cook hearty dinner, and get him ready for bed.

As they walked down the dark hall, the lovestruck duo left nothing but soft chuckles and trails of glitter in their wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. One more prompt. 
> 
> I’ll be back soon with something special. Until then, hugs and kisses! Bye bye!


	30. Day 30: Chores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu and Yosuke finally move into a home together. The first chore on the list? Making their new home clean enough to live in...and also enjoying each other's company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, everyone.

They’d done it.

It had taken months of saving and hours of grueling overtime that served as the source for countless all-nighters and at least a thousand throbbing migraines, but Yu and Yosuke had finally saved up to buy their own place together. No longer would they have to deal with shady landlords to struggle to find a place with reasonable rates in the epicenter of Tokyo, where both of them currently worked full-time in their respective careers.

Now, the couple finally had their own place to truly call home.

To the average person, the small condominium probably didn’t look like anything special. It was centrally located between the wards of Shinjuku and Shibuya in a distinctly crowded, middle-class area. The stores were cramped into one-room spaces and all the restaurants were always filled with regulars that reeked of musky cologne and alcohol.

Tucked away within the sprawling mass of apartments and crisscrossing train lines, the couple's new home was a two-bedroom condominium on the eleventh floor of a modest building within a more residential area of the ward. The surrounding area had a below-average crime rate, there was a park nearby where some of the building’s tenants would meet for awkward yoga sessions in public, and there were plenty of small shops that lined the street below that would make after-works errands of late-night grocery shopping much less of an arduous task than it had been before in their last building.

All in all, the couple was pretty proud of their find. After spending a day signing all the paperwork and setting up payment plans, they’d each received a key to their new home.

The two had been married for about four years but had known each other since April of their second year of high school. Yu could still recall the aroma of the cherry-scented breeze and the way the sun's rays graced his skin on the day he’d fished the strange, shaggy-haired boy out of a trash can near Yasogami High.

The teen told his silver-haired hero that his name was Yosuke Hanamura.

That day, his fate had been sealed. 

Looking back, Yu realized their meeting was one of the most important moments in his entire life. Yu measured the timeline of his entire life in ‘pre-Yosuke’ and ‘post-Yosuke’ relations more frequently than he cared to admit.

To say the fawn-haired teen’s joyful attitude and slightly dweeby optimism had left a lasting impact on Yu would be the understatement of the millennium.

Almost effortlessly, Yosuke began Yu’s first friend and confidant in the sleepy countryside town. Although hesitant and still cautiously shy of others, Yu had accepted the bond with a friendly handshake and a positive outlook.

At the time, neither teenager could have predicted how unbreakably strong the bond between them had become.

Since that fateful day, their shared thousands of high-fives, hundreds of life-saving embraces, and an uncountable number of kisses. Kissing was their favorite on the entire list and, as soon as they started dating in college, the couple immediately set out to make up for lost time. 

Now, they didn’t only share in worshipping each other’s bodies in the powerful way only lovers could do, but now could share in a common home where they could always reunite after their longest and most arduous days.

When moving day arrived, both probably slept for two hours the night prior before ultimately leaping out of bed before dawn. They grabbed their bags and drove to the condominium as quickly as they could.

The entire scenario still felt like a dream that was too good to be true until head the satisfying thump of the key slipping into the lock and dismantling the deadbolt.

“Should I carry you over the threshold?” Yu asked his partner with a playful kiss on the neck.

In response, Yosuke only grumbled through a smile. “Effin’ dork.”

Once inside, the two immediately set out to make the dusty space feel like home.

Yosuke opened one of the many ‘de-stress’ playlists from his laptop and cranked the volume so the soothing jazz and delicate bossa nova notes filled the entire space to the brim with a comforting spiral of artfully-strung melodies.

While the calming music played in the background, the duo divided the long list of chores at hand and spent their first evening in the condo scrubbing every room from top to bottom. While Yu bleached the bathroom, Yosuke polished the floors and saw to it that every inch of the small kitchen was scrubbed to sterling perfection.

They both took equal responsibility for lifting the heavy boxes from their rental truck up the stairs to their living space. While some boxes and bags were light enough that they could manage with dragging them into the elevator, the larger furniture items back at their old place would have to be transported by a moving crew. It was an additional expense neither of them ultimately wanted to splurge on, but the large size of the items combined with the waning hours of the one weekend they had to completely relocate their lives finally served as a sufficient enough push.

In the meantime, the couple had to make do without some items. Their bed was the biggest one, but there were also missing their sofa and both their respective dressers. Thankfully, it was nothing one moving truck couldn’t handle another day. At least they wouldn’t have to pay for multiple trips.

Without a sofa or bed to sleep on, they opted instead to spread out their futons in the apartment’s living area. The arrangement wasn’t too uncomfortable, especially since the futons were decently soft compared to the dark-walnut floors. Besides, spreading the futons out in the main area also offered the surprising advantage of allowing them to look out the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that opened out onto a small balcony already decorated with a few potted plants. Just past the iron railing, the Tokyo skyline rose proudly of the horizon in a series of proud and jagged edges that seemed to spear the heavens until their inky outlines vanished in the deep-blue night sky.

The longer Yosuke stared, the more uncertain he became about where the natural stars ended and where the glittering city lights began. While there was no way the two could truly see the night as clearly as they’d been able to in Inaba thanks to the high amount of light pollution in Tokyo, the bustling cityscape was the closest thing to a fair trade.

Yosuke had only been back with Yu in Tokyo for a few years since they both finished high school, but the view of the glittering skyline never ceased to steal his breath away.

“This place has a nice view, huh?” Yu asked from his semi-reclined position on the futon. He was dressed in nothing but boxers and a t-shirt, much to Yosuke’s pleasure.

When he looked over to catch the way the lights played off his partner’s face and body, his eyes darkened with immediate passion.

“Yeah, but to be fair, any room has a great view as long as you’re in it,” Yosuke offered with a smirk.

Yu bristled at the compliment. He couldn’t avert his gaze quite quick enough to hide the bloom of a peony-colored blush upon his cheeks. The vibrant color dusted his entire face, from the bridge of his nose all the way to the tips of his ears.  

“Now who’s being a dork?” Yu responded with a laugh that was most likely intended to sound cocky…but ended up sounding bashful.

Unable to help himself, Yosuke pulled his eyes away from the rainbow horizon and refocused on the silver-haired man beneath him. Slowly, he drew the covers up and over their bodies as he huddled closer to the warmth of Yu’s slightly wider chest. With a satisfied hum, he sank into Yu’s body until he felt his arms wrap around his torso and haul him close enough to hear the resounding thud of his heart.

“We finally did it,” Yu said with a content sigh. “After all that work, we finally did it.”

The incredulous undertone to Yu’s sentence intrigued Yosuke immediately.

“Did you doubt we could do it?” Yosuke asked as he nuzzled his face against the soft material of Yu’s heather grey shirt.

“Hey, I didn’t doubt _us_ ,” Yu clarified with a deep chuckle. One of his hands lazily inched upward to start stroking Yosuke’s hair with long, languid movements. “I still think, somehow, this whole thing is some kind of long dream. Like, when we fought Mitsuo’s Shadow and, for three months…everything I saw was an illusion.”

Yosuke cringed at the memory. Almost instinctually, he drew Yu closer into a more protective embrace.

“I remember pulling you out of that,” Yosuke said quietly, squinting his eyes as he imagined how painful of an existential crisis that must have been for his leader to endure.

He remembered the blissful look on Yu’s face when Yosuke had literally yanked him from the abyss and into his, and Jiraiya’s, open arms to whisk him away from the illusionary life that had held him hostage.

He never wanted his husband, his _partner_ , to face such agony ever again.

“I promise, Yu,” Yosuke whispered. He placed a kiss on Yu’s chest, pressing his lips to the velvety delta between his collarbones. “This isn’t a dream.”

“Yeah?” Yu replied, sighing thankfully as he felt the slopes of Yosuke’s body mold to his. He groaned in satisfaction ad he bent his head to place a kiss on his crown. “…You’re right. I can feel it. This is really real. I’m home, with you.”

Yosuke couldn’t help but laugh at that. It wasn’t a mocking sound, but rather, a relieved sound. The goal was to sympathize with Yu’s disbelief because, on some level, Yosuke was just as a shocked and happy that they’d made it as far as they had as Yu was.

They’d faced so many hurdles in life, both as individuals and as a couple.

Yet, despite it all, they were still together. Happily together.

Yosuke couldn’t help but agree that the cathartic moment of them finally buying a home together seemed almost too fanciful to be a reality after the relentless string of murders and horrors they’d faced and conquered together.

At last, all the happiness they’d ever hoped for was real.

“We’re home, together,” Yosuke muttered with a deep sigh. In a way, his own words helped cement the reality of their union in his own brain as well.

Not liking the more austere turn of their conversation, Yosuke followed up his more sentimental statement by lifting a finger to lightly poke Yu on the tip of his nose. “It’s all real, partner. All the chores we'll have to do tomorrow will prove that to you.”

Yu failed to suppress a laugh at the gesture. While both of them had definitely matured since their days as high school companions, some habits remained constant despite the flow of time. Yosuke was still one to never let a happy moment become too serious…and Yu wasn’t one to leave a romantic gesture unreciprocated.

He batted Yosuke’s hand away with a gentle swish of his head. Then, he dipped his head to nudge Yosuke’s face again his shoulder. Knowing exactly what yu’s prodding met, Yosuke rolled his head willingly against the juncture between Yu’s arm and shoulder, resting there for a moment.

The two angled their heads and slowly slid their jaws together with a mutual gasp.

The kiss was warm and welcoming, and tasted vaguely of the cinnamon mouthwash and toothpaste they’d used to clean their teeth before bed a few hours ago. It was far from unpleasant, and Yosuke found himself longing for the kiss to linger for far longer than what many people would consider chaste.

When he felt Yosuke’s hand stroke his arm encouragingly and grip his shoulder, Yu was gone. He rolled their bodies jointly so his slightly bulkier frame could cover Yosuke’s, effectively pinning his slightly flushed partner to the malleable surface of the futon.

There, he pressed their lips together harder than before. When Yu moaned in blissful satisfaction at the tingly heat that was beginning to swell inside of him, Yosuke swallowed the sound greedily by pressing his lips to the corner of Yu’s mouth. The warmth of his prodding tongue caused Yu’s mouth to fall open in silent testimony to the pleasure he felt. Yosuke didn’t waste a second rolling their tongues together and searing their lips shut in a passionate kiss that seemed to make the long list of chores they had to undertake the next morning fade away into the distant future.

“Hey,” Yu gasped, resisting the urge to roll one of Yosuke’s lips between his teeth to deepen their kiss further.

“Hm?” Yosuke’s expression was dreamy as he broke away from the kiss to look up at him. His gaze, half-lidded, seemed to be full of stars that only Yu was privy to witness.

“I love you, partner” Yu admitted, face flushing a bit at the words. His grip tightened against Yosuke’s body with the same, defensive drive Yosuke had shown for him. “…More than anyone or anything in the world.”

While sudden, the words felt right.

In response to the sudden statement, Yosuke’s eyes widened with a fiery passion for one precious moment before he rolled them with his characteristic self-consciousness.

“Okay, I think you just re-earned the ‘dork’ title again,” Yosuke responded, lightly scratching the back of his neck before leaning in again. The next thing Yu felt was the distinct softness of Yosuke’s mouth against his cheek.

“But…I love you too, Yu,” Yosuke confessed, grinning ear to ear as the syrupy-sweet confession escaped his lips. “So much.”

While Yu’s restraint was notoriously rock-solid in almost every aspect for his day-to-day life, Yosuke always rendered his defenses paper-thin. Without his usual decorum, he leaned down again and stole Yosuke’s lips away in a kiss that he hoped would convey the unbridled adoration he felt for him that words were simply useless to convey.

This time, their kiss went uninterrupted and continued long into the night.

After all, there was no reason to rush. The two were finally home…together.

They had all the time in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to take a moment to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. 
> 
> You guys stuck with me for thirty days of prompts. Thirty days of spelling mistakes. Thirty days of reused adjectives and comma splices. Thirty days reading my interpretations of two dorks falling in love with each other.
> 
> Even though this challenge only took nearly two months, I’ve never received more kind words, thoughtful comments and met so many amazing content creators than a few months ago. I started Souyowrimo as my first ever month-long challenge, and even though I would have done some things differently, it was a wonderful experience. I wouldn’t change anything.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading my fic and making it all the way here. I rolled across the finish line in a bloodied and exhausted heap, and you guys came bringing kind words and relaxing sentiments.
> 
> I’ve got more Souyo projects like up, as well as some Yukichie fics in the works too!  
> This is not the end of P4 fanfics from me. It’s just a moment to appreciate all of you guys for sticking around with me through thick and thin.  
> I love you all so much. Let’s move onward to 2019 together!
> 
> See you soon!
> 
> -“Romeo” (Jessica, always and forever a mess.)


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